


Bromances in Space

by ptw30



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AUs, Drabbles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feels, Ficlets, Found Family, Friendsheith, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Now it's physical too, Season 2, VLD Drabble Challenge, and Canon Fics, klance, shallura - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-18 20:59:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 28,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9402668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ptw30/pseuds/ptw30
Summary: Various drabbles for Voltron: Legendary Defender, currently including ships Shallura, Klance, as well as my BOTP Shiro & Keith.Most drabbles are either reactionary stories to Season 2 or AU based.





	1. Hug It Out

**Author's Note:**

> Just some ficlets I needed to write after watching VLD Season 2; I'll add tags and characters as they appear.
> 
> Story One takes place during The Belly of Weblum

"I won't leave you, Keith. Not like that."

Keith blinked, taken back. They were supposed to be saying their good-byes, Keith on his way to retrieve crystals inside the belly of a beast, Shiro on his way to a prison break. Not this. Not...

"Shiro, I don't -"

"During the trials," Shiro continued, and there was a softness in his eyes, a tender desperation Keith had never seen before, "you saw a mental image of me. It said you would be alone. It left you. I would never. I won't ever."

Keith couldn't stop the tears that rose in his eyes, and he quickly dropped his gaze to his balled fists. 

So many emotions swept through him - fear, hope, love - but relief trumped them all.

"Even though I have Galra blood?" He found himself asking, needing this, needing to make sure. "Cuz Allura - "

"Allura doesn't know you, not like I do." A hand gripped his shoulder, and Shiro ducked his head to gaze into Keith's eyes. "And you didn't just offer to give up a piece of your soul for her."

Keith cocked his head to the side. What was Shiro trying to - 

"That dagger is an extension of you. It's part of you, and you were willing to give it up to come back with me." He put out his hand, which Keith took, and when Shiro pulled him into a hug, Keith couldn't help but smile. "So come back to me."

Keith wrapped his arm about Shiro, too, the tension he'd held in his shoulders since he found out about the Blade of Marmora melting. 

With Shiro by his side, he could battle anything - the Galra, his blood, even Allura's wrath. 

"Yes, sir."


	2. Castle in the Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place after the season two finale, and it should be 70k and show Keith and the Paladins saving Shiro. Instead, it's quick 1k I needed to write to indulge my muse.

_I-I can’t. I tried, but I just – I’m sorry, Shiro._

He couldn’t be the leader Shiro had wanted him to be. 

“What’s happening?” Lance cried, his face popping up on the Black Lion’s viewer screen. “Keith, you have to initiate the whole shebang!”

“You don’t think I know that?” Keith snapped; his hands tightened about the controls that were too big, too heavy, too purple for him. “But the Black Lion doesn’t want to form Voltron!”

Pidge soared in front of him, blocking zap after zap of green energy the monster shot at Keith and the Black Lion. “Will you feel the bond with your lion already!”

But this wasn’t his lion. This was Shiro’s. Keith shared a soul, a bond, a partnership with Red. They relied upon one another, flew as one, and Black – Black didn’t want to. Black didn’t want Keith at the helm; he wanted his paladin. And in all honesty, so did Keith. Shiro was the Black Paladin, and there was no substitute.

He felt very much like the little brother who couldn’t hope to fill his older brother’s boots.

“Keith,” Allura’s voice kept its sharp tone, though desperation clung to its edge. “Relax. You can do this.”

But he couldn’t. With Red, there was instinct and trust, affection and strength. With Black, there was apprehension, fear, and doubt. The Black Lion trusted Keith because Shiro did, but the Black Lion didn’t reach out to bond. It reached out to search for its paladin. And it knew it wasn’t Keith. 

Hunk shouted, a blast of electricity sizzling about Yellow’s frame, “Keith! We have to do something!”

“Come on, Mullet! You can do this!”

“Shiro trusted you,” Pidge insisted. “He wouldn’t have told you to lead Voltron if he didn’t you think you – ugh!”

“The bond! You must strengthen it with your lion!” Allura. 

Keith closed out his eyes and let out a prolonged sigh, reaching tentatively out to Black. Red’s anxious spirit rushed through his body, missing his presence in her cockpit and finding Allura’s upsetting, and Black – Black remained cold and distant. He grumbled in Keith’s mind, loathing his presence, and it was entirely different from when he entered Black’s cockpit after they crash-landed. Even then the Black Lion resisted but eventually welcomed him, and when he sat in this very seat, the Black Lion had growled with a fierce snarl of acknowledgement. 

There had been a bond, if for only a moment. Black and Keith shared one thought – save Shiro. 

Black wanted that again, and Keith – Keith didn’t know how. He didn’t know where Shiro was, and if he did, he’d go after him. He’d bring him back to Black and the team, their family, _him._

“Keith!” Lance again, desperate, frightened. He had cried out in pain as the monster blasted Blue with a zap of green electricity. Hunk slammed Yellow into the monster’s back, but its beams hit Red. And she called to him. They all did. They needed him to be the leader, and he was woefully inadequate. 

_I’m sorry, Shiro._

A light pressure touched his shoulders, pressing down like hands, and they were big, larger than his own. They cupped his shoulders encouragingly, the motion familiar and tender, so much so that tears blurred Keith’s vision. The sensation spread warmth throughout his whole body, and then hands clasped his own about the controls, helping to place them where they needed to be. 

“Shiro…?” he murmured, unable to raise his voice louder than a whisper. 

Out of the corner of his eyes, Keith saw one cybernetic hand over his right and one hand in a cut-off glove over his left. A contented yet still fierce purr echoed in Keith’s soul, and he whispered along to the words that replayed in his mind, “Patience yields focus.”

He wasn’t sure what was happening, but the Black and Red Lions roared in his soul – and he thought he could feel both of their energies flowing through him, along with Allura’s and the paladins. They were all here with him – including Shiro. 

“Guys, let’s form Voltron!”

They defeated the monster, though not as easily as when Shiro was at the helm, but they survived. And when Keith pulled the Black Bayard from its holder, he inhaled a sharp breath and blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings. 

He was no longer in the Black Lion’s cockpit but in a transparent landscape glowing with purple and black light. The Black Lion’s massive paws stood on either side of him, and directly in front of him was Shiro, illuminated in that purple glow and holding his arms out to Keith. 

The immense relief threatened to drag Keith to his knees – Shiro was alive! – but he immediately fit into Shiro’s welcoming hold, submitting to the violent sobs that wracked his shivering frame. 

“You’re alive…”

Shiro lay his cheek against Keith’s hair and cradled him in his arms. “You can’t stay here long. The plane – it’s not compatible with anyone but the Guardian of the Sky.”

There was an urgency to his voice – and fear. “What do you mean? You’re coming back with me.”

“I can’t.” A soul-wrenching pain tugged at Shiro’s voice, and Keith jerked away, though not completely out of Shiro’s hold. 

“Shiro – I don’t understand. Where are we? What is this place? You – You can’t want to stay here.”

“Of course not,” Shiro assured with a sad smile, “but I can’t leave.”

“But - But we need you,” Keith said, watching the an intense sorrow overtake Shiro’s expression.

“And I’m always there, Keith,” Shiro assured, hands cupping Keith’s arms again like they had on the Black Lion. “Right over your shoulder, any time you’re flying. I’m there.”

“No!” Keith threw off Shiro’s hands. “I don’t accept this. You can’t just stay here. Voltron needs you. _I_ need you!”

Shiro looked torn, eyes trembling, until a thick tension settled in Keith’s being, making him feel sick and weak. An animalistic growl cut through the air, and before Keith could ask what the blazing light heading their way was, Shiro spun and seethed, “Keith, I’m sorry, but I can’t leave. I have to keep his mind here. I won’t let him threaten you or the universe ever again.”

Zarkon. The light was Zarkon. Wait, so that last battle had sent both Zarkon and Shiro to the Astral Plane, and Shiro was sacrificing himself to keep the universe safe?

Keith forced himself to yell through the tension choking him and the tears staining his face, “Shiro! Wait!”

But Shiro just drew him close once more and then all too quickly, rushed toward the advancing Zarkon. 

Keith tried to take a step forward, but his feet was heavy and lame. It refused to move, and Black roared then, lamenting his paladin’s absence. When Zarkon and Shiro met in a violent clash of claws and metal, a violet light engulfed the plane. 

Keith awoke with a strangled scream and Lance shouting in his ear, “Keith! Buddy! Talk to us!”

And through the tears, Keith only managed, “I know where Shiro is.”

A collective “What!” caused him to wince, and as he clutched the Black Lion’s controls, Shiro’s hands no longer upon his, he murmured, “And we’re going to save him.”

Somehow.


	3. How Shiro Became a Dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random fluffy AU domestic drabble I wanted to write one day. Warning - tooth-rotting fluff

Shiro found them huddled in an alley, limbs entwined for warmth and comfort, and it wasn’t easy. He never thought it would be, but Keith barely spoke, instead allowing Lance to speak for both of them. And Lance never stopped blathering, about everything from the endless heat radiating from the baseboard to the floating bubbles in the tub.

But Shiro had seen a lot of hard luck cases as a cop, and he was determined to prevent Lance and Keith from becoming them. So when Lance refused to leave Keith at night, Shiro got them a queen-sized bed until they felt secure enough in Shiro’s apartment for their own. When he found the cereal and other non-perishables under Keith’s bed, he sat the boys down - together - and asked them why they felt the need to hoard and what he could do to make them feel more relaxed and at home.

It took time, and sometimes, Shiro thought they might never get there - like when Lance yelled that he hated Shiro for not letting him stay up longer, or when Keith refused to get out of the car and go to school for a full week.

But then Allura - their teacher - asked him to speak to the class about citizenship and the duties of a police officer, and Shiro walked in to hear the tail end of Lance’s boast, “Oh, yeah? Well, my dad beats up people like your dad and puts them away for good!”

Shiro would scold Lance later - it wasn’t nice to put down other parents - but at the moment, all he could do was smile.

Eventually, Shiro managed to collect himself. He forced the unshed tears away and approached Lance, placing a hand upon the boy’s crown. “Hello, kiddo. Where’s Ms. Altea, huh?”

A hesitant but warm hand found his loose one - Keith appearing at his side - and Lance snatched his other hand, dragging Shiro into the classroom to present him as his and Keith’s dad.

And Shiro knew then - they would be just fine.


	4. Dad Duties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From the same universe of "How Shiro Became a Dad" - here's some tooth-rotting fluff.

It took two years before Keith and Lance felt comfortable enough to have their own rooms in Shiro’s home. Shiro took it as win, having finally earned the trust of his “twins,” though Keith still wandered out of Lance’s room a few mornings each week. And perhaps Lance fell asleep on Keith’s bed while doing homework a few evenings. Shiro never had the heart to move him. He didn’t mention it, either, just took mental photographs of his twins as they snuggled like kittens and hoped that maybe one day they would trust him enough to have their personal space.

It never occurred to him that it wasn’t a trust issue but a necessity for comfort and reassurance until Shiro woke up one night to the creaking of his bedroom door. He glanced at his open closet and the top shelf, where he kept his department-issued gun locked in a safe, out of reach of his children’s young, inexperienced hands.

He immediately dismissed the idea of using it.

Even if he could reach it in time, he wouldn’t put the boys in jeopardy like that – especially since when the door opened, there stood Keith and Lance, looking as tired and despondent as ever.

Keith’s eyes were red rimmed, like he had been crying, but Lance held his hand, being the anchor to reality that they both desperately needed.

Relief sweeping through him, Shiro immediately ruffled both their hair. “Hey, guys. What’s wrong?”

“ _Keef_ had a bad dream,” Lance muttered, fighting back a yawn and leaning his forehead on Shiro’s belly.

They’d had lots of bad dreams during their first few weeks living with him, and Shiro suspected that they’d had them since. But the boys had long stopped crying loud enough for him to hear, and every time he checked on them, they’d been asleep. They hadn’t come to see him in quite a while, which he took to be a good sign. But maybe he was just being delusional.

Shiro fell to one knee and gripped Keith’s other hand. “Hey, buddy. You want to talk about it over some chocolate milk?”

Keith shook his head in a vehement rejection, but then those violet eyes shimmered with such trust and affection that they rendered Shiro’s breathless.

“Can we sleep in your bed?”

Well, that was unexpected, but Shiro savored the sudden warmth that blossomed in his chest. “Uh…sure, kiddo. If you think it’ll – ”

Lance and Keith needed no other incentive, bounding into the room and jumping onto Shiro’s bed. They immediately settled under the fluffy comforter, Keith taking the far end of the queen bed and Lance settling in the middle. They each stole one of Shiro’s pillows, leaving him to grab a throw from the couch, and when he returned, Lance put a up a finger to whisper, “Shhh! Keef’s asleep.”

Hm. So he was, passed out as he hugged Shiro’s pillow like a teddy bear, his back to Lance like he trusted Lance to watch it. Lance patted the ridiculously small space on his other side, and Shiro obliged. What he didn’t expect was for Lance to snuggle up against him. Sure, the kid liked to lean against him during movies, but Lance liked his space, too. So did Keith.

But he guessed this was one of the perks of being a parent, and he reveled in the simple sight of his twins sleeping soundly – until Lance elbowed him during a dream. And during the very brief moments Shiro managed to capture sleep, Keith woke him by throwing his pillow over Shiro’s legs and trapping him there the rest of the night – because surely, Shiro wouldn’t wake the kid just so he could sleep.

A new routine formed after that, Lance and Keith seeking him out after their worst nightmares, but they no longer waited for him by the door. Sometimes he woke to find one of them draped across his back, the other drooling on his pillow, and once they even managed to kick him right out of bed while they were still asleep.

But he finally found reprieve after Allura accepted his marriage proposal. When they went shopping for new furniture, Shiro refused to budge on this one subject.

“Has to be a king bed.”  


The End


	5. The Calm After the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After "Across the Universe," Pidge watches as Shiro continues to battle and comes to a few conclusions about her team.

Shiro fascinated Pidge. The way Matt used to talk about his mission pilot left her with an incorrect assessment of her would-be field officer. 

“You should see him, Katie. Three servings of mac and cheese in twenty minutes!” 

“He likes Dad’s jokes. I can’t even.”

“Every woman in the facility. It’s like he mesmerizes them with one look – and his muscles, of course.”

But Shiro was none of that. Well, maybe some of it – he did like dad jokes – but Shiro was much more attentive, empathetic, and _genuine_ than Matt made him sound. Maybe the Shiro she knew was different from the one Matt knew, but this one – this Shiro she respected and admired, especially when it came to Shiro’s treatment of the Paladins. 

It didn't surpise Pidge that the moment Shiro limped out of the Black Lion, he checked her visibly for wounds. Once he confirmed she wasn’t injured, he grabbed her in a one-arm hug and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. The moment passed almost too quickly, and Allura intervened, sweeping Shiro into her arms. She carried the injured Black Paladin princess-style – much to his sputtered dismay – to the medical bay with Keith following like a loyal puppy. 

Matt had mentioned Shiro’s brother once or twice in passing, had even noted that he was a cadet at the garrison, and once they’d formed Voltron, Pidge realized quickly that Keith was whom Matt mentioned. Keith picked up Shiro’s emotional cues better than the rest, noticing when he had flashbacks or encouraging him when their leader doubted his own abilities. They fought together, Shiro relying upon Keith in battles both on and off the ship, and Pidge never wondered why Keith was chosen to be the Red Paladin. He was both literally and figuratively Shiro’s right arm. 

Even now, he stood off to the side of the medical bay, watching as Shiro endured Coran’s swift medical checks while Allura readied the pod. But while Keith looked after Shiro, Shiro thought of the team. 

“Pidge, see if you can locate Lance and Hunk. Let’s bring them home.”

“None of that right now,” Coran chastised. “Focus on healing first, Number One, and then we’ll – ”

“We can’t wait that long,” Shiro insisted. “They may be injured, too. Pidge – ”

“On it!” As she began to type on her wrist screen, Pidge stole glances at Keith. The rather sullen Red Paladin stood just to her left, arms crossed over his chest. His face gave away none of his concern, but his eyes – they trembled and shimmered with fresh tears. 

“Keith,” Shiro beckoned, breathless but tender. His tone was so vulnerable, so raw, that Pidge felt like she was intruding on a private moment. 

Coran went to the medical bay closet to get the white jumpsuit needed for a cyro-pod while Keith came forward, hands locked in his elbows as if permanently fused in that position. 

Shiro lifted up his left arm and held his glove out to Keith. “Mind geting me out of this, buddy? It’ll hurt less if you help me maneuver the armor off.”

“Sure,” Keith said in a soft, hopeful tone. His dark cloud of despair immediately lightened as he slid Shiro’s gloves off, then worked through Shiro’s boots, belt, and chest plate. 

The jumpsuit proved difficult, but Coran had returned by then and helped to ease Shiro down to the table. Pidge turned and let them finish, but a small smile edged upon his lips. 

The mundane work coupled with Shiro’s warm skin helped to soothe Keith’s frazzled nerves, Pidge saw. Keith no longer felt hopeless and weak, waiting for Coran and Allura to help Shiro and instead, became an active participant in Shiro’s healing. It also reassured him that he and Shiro made it through the hard part. Shiro was here, alive, and getting the help he needed. Keith could stop worrying now. 

But he didn’t, of course, hovering near the table even after Shiro donned the white suit. They spoke in hushed tones, Shiro now supine upon a medical table and awaiting pod transfer. Keith listened and nodded, his fingers threaded loosely with Shiro’s metal ones. 

He was calmer, more put together, and Shiro had known that. Just like he knew Pidge needed to fiddle with her hands and get moving on finding the rest of her garrison crew. 

Hm. It never occurred to her until that moment – perhaps Keith had been on Shiro’s garrison crew? Was that why they were so close?

It didn’t matter. The Paladins, Coran, and Allura were all their crew now, and their crew wasn’t whole. Shiro knew it, too, arguing with Allura and Coran to stay awake until they found Lance and Hunk. But Allura eventually won. 

“There is nothing you can do for them right now. Now stop hampering our efforts and get in the pod, Shiro. We’ll need you in top condition if Lance and Hunk are in trouble. As you are, you couldn’t even fend off a baby yelmore.”

Whatever that was. 

Then her voice lightened, and Pidge only heard her hushed words thanks to Shiro’s dented helmet, which sat near his head. “Don’t make Keith and Pidge worry any longer. They need to focus on Lance and Hunk. Let them relax, knowing you are safe now.”

Though he still protested, Shiro surrendered to Allura’s commands. He would do anything for his team, even conceding his own fears to put his team’s to rest. 

Pidge waited – she had to – to see Shiro finally close his eyes inside the cryo-pod. Then it was time to bring the rest of their family home. 

_The End_


	6. Learning Curve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An After Season 2 Finale Drabble; I wanted to write something with Shiro and Lotor.
> 
> -  
> My apologies to everyone. This was supposed to be just a "after Season 2" drabble dump, and it's pretty much just a drabble dump for all my VLD writings.

“The Paladins don’t know where you are. They won’t be coming for you.”

Lotor meant it as a threat. Shiro took it as a comfort. He never wanted the paladins to know the torture he endured – or worse, for them to endure it. So he refused to reach out to the Black Lion, accepted the fists and the darkened cell, and hoped Lotor’s threat came true.

The Paladins would stay safe and never come near his hell. 

When the explosions began, he thought perhaps the Rebels of Pollux or the Blade of Marmora attacked Lotor’s main base. It wasn’t until the guards came and dragged him, bound and struggling, to the bridge, that Shiro realized what was happening.

Voltron sliced through the cruise’s hull and began to carve a path to the bow.

The guards forced Shiro to his knees. Lotor placed his sword directly under Shiro’s lifted chin.

“If I die, I will take you with me.”

Shiro’s eyes drifted shut; a surge of familiar warmth accompanied the Black Lion’s soothing presence in the back of his mind. 

“Do you know what your mistake was, Lotor?” Shiro grinned and took pleasure in the prince’s bewildered expression. “You underestimated my team.“  


_My family._

“They’ll stop at nothing to get me back.”

“Too bad they will fail.”

“Still haven’t learned, huh? Allow this to be your lesson.”

A ferocious roar reverberated against the windows. Metal shrieked. Glass broke, and Shiro held his breath as the Black Lion jaws tore through the bridge and swallowed him whole.


	7. VLD Drabble Challenge Week One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first week’s drabbles for the [VLD Drabble Challenge](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/post/157414212779/30-day-challenge-masterpost-vld-drabbles) I’m currently writing on my [Tumblr](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> **Ships include:** Shallura, Gen, and Klance 
> 
> All these works are SFW. The only drabble missing from this chapter is the alpha/omega post, which I uploaded as [a separate story.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9814142) It is NSFW. 
> 
> Thanks!

**Day 1 - Coffee Shop - Shallura** **\- The Courting Rituals of a Barista**

She came into The Paladin Coffee Shop daily, full of poise and confidence. She wore her lustrous hair either in a tight bun or a curly ponytail, accenting her professional or playful moods. Her mesmerizing eyes shone with an enchanting blend of warmth and mischief, though they never focused on Shiro for more than a few seconds.

But it was the highlight of his day, when she looked up from her phone and ordered a caffe latte with extra froth.

Shiro never asked her name, instead writing “Princess” on her cup. He placed it on the middle, right where Keith would slide on the cozy, so she’d never see it. Keith rolled his eyes but called out the order instead of the name.

Eventually, Shiro got daring.

_Hope you’re having a sweet week, Princess._

_Smile. It’s Friday, Princess._

_I don’t need caffeine, Princess. You perk me right up._

Okay, that last one came from Lance.

When he took her order one Wednesday and reached for the cup, the cap of his marker already crunched between his teeth, Princess interjected, “Allura. A-L-L-U-R-A.”

Shiro blinked.

She smiled, her long, lush hair down for a change, and she tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. “It’s Allura, not ‘Princess.’ ”

Oh.  _Oh_. She’s seen one of his notes or perhaps all of them? The tips of his ears burned; heat flushed his cheeks. He slowly took the cap from his mouth and managed to mutter, “Right. Right. Sorry about that…Allura.”

Her name fit her breathtaking nature and spellbinding attributes, and he somehow rang her up and handed her the change. But she leaned over the counter, stealing his marker from his apron pocket, and wrote on the five-dollar bill he’d given to her.

“Well,  _Shiro_ ,” she read off his name tag, “I have a confession to make of my own.” As she dropped the marker back into his apron, she whispered against his cheek, “I don’t like coffee.”

Shiro gulped, eyes following her every move as she pushed the five-dollar bill into the tip bin and then glided across the shop to pick up her coffee. As soon as she was out of sight, he snatched the bill, where he read a set of numbers and a short message.

_You are as steaming as my latte, Paladin. Let’s see if we can get something brewing between us._

 

**Day 2 - University - Gen - Homeschooling**

Shiro should have taken bets. He knew Lance would be the first to complain.

“You’re joking, right? This has got to be a bad joke. Or maybe a bad dream. I’m ready to wake up now!”

Allura handled the opposition with a straight face and clenched hands, which she tucked behind her back. “No, Lance, we are not joking, and you are certainly not dreaming.”

“Yeah, because if I were, you’d be in – ”

“Lance!”

Allura cleared her throat after sending Shiro a grateful smile. “As I was saying…I spoke to Shiro about your schooling, and he informed me that none of you finished secondary school, let alone engaged in a higher educational regiment. Therefore, Coran and I have taken it upon ourselves to help you finish your studies.”

“But-But-But –”

“Will we learn about Altean sciences and technologies?” Pidge perked up, barely able to contain her excitement.

Hunk joined in. “How about Altean machines and how they use quintessence?”

“Guys!” Lance shouted. “In the middle of a war here. There’s no time for learning all that worthless crap. Keith, back me up here!”

Keith shrugged, heading toward the bridge’s exit. “I was expelled from the garrison, remember? Which means I don’t have to take these stupid – ”

Shiro snagged the back of his jacket as he passed. “Oh, no. That means you have to make up the time you were out.”

“Wait. What! But-But-But – ”

“Oh, sure, now you have a case of the ‘buts!’” Lance interjected.

“Don’t worry, young paladins!” Coran heaved a massive set of books into his arms. “I’ve already procured your first night’s reading!”

Lance groaned loudly while Keith shot an accusatory glare at Shiro. Hunk and Pidge ambushed Coran, tearing through book after book with an insatiable appetite for knowledge.

Resigned to his fate, Lance begrudgingly asked, “And just what will you teach us, Princess?”

“I will be teaching you how to engage effectively and respectively in the spirit of Altean Royalty decorum.”

Keith snorted. “So you’re leaving the heavy lifting to Coran, huh?”

Allura maintained her calm demeanor for a full three seconds before she attacked, slamming Keith to the floor, twisting his arm and digging her heel into his lower back.

“Do you know what evils shall befall upon you for speaking ill of a teacher in Altean society? It is unforgivable.”

Lance gulped. Pidge laughed nervously, and Hunk began to sob openly. Shiro, himself, almost laughed. Thank the Ancients he’d graduated years ago. “All right, guys. Why don’t you thank Coran and Allura for their assistance and let’s meet up in a few varga to discuss your study schedule.”

“Don’t forget your books, too, Shiro.”

Shiro stopped halfway to the door. “Excuse me, Princess?”

“I had Coran calculate Altean and Earthling ages,” Allura called, “and Altean students go to school until they are approximately thirty in Earth years. So Coran has made up a curriculum for you as well!”

Oh, quiznak.

**Day 3 - Rebirth/Starcrossed - Klance - High Treason**

“You shouldn’t be here.”                            

Cool arms wrapped about Keith’s waist from behind; silken lips pressed against the side of his neck, eliciting a delicious shiver.

“You say that every time.”

“I mean it every time.”

“Then don’t blush…just…like…that…every single time.”

Lance’s lips followed the familiar path along the curve of Keith’s neck, and when Keith’s stomach bottomed, he whirled, tearing out of his partner’s hold. “Lance, Galra is at war with Altea. If Zarkon finds you here – ”

“ – he’ll do unspeakable things to me, so let’s not tell him, okay?”

Lance pounced, and though Keith could have fought him, he allowed Lance to pull him close, against his better judgement. But those crystal eyes sparkled, speaking of shameless secrets and intimate affections, and Keith fell all over again.

Lance caught him by the waist, hands sliding over taut muscles with sensual caresses and desperate embraces, and they tumbled to the bed amidst hushed laughter and breathless kisses.

A door creaked; Keith automatically shifted, diving in front of Lance to accept the death blow that never came. Instead, silent greeted him – as well as Lance’s frightened gaze – and together Keith and Lance turned to see Shiro, dressed in his Blade outfit, leaning against the chamber’s entryway.

“There are locks for a reason,” he chastised, expression exasperatingly fond. “You probably should consider using them, especially when you are committing high treason.”

Lance relaxed upon the bed and pulled Keith down next to him. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Shiro’s good-natured expression faltered. “Just…be careful, okay? I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.”

“Nothing is going to happen to us,” Keith said, face still flushed and eyes averted, abashed. “This war is what’s wrong, not us.”

“Say that after Zarkon kills you for having relations with King Alfor’s son and King Alfor banishes you, Lance, for having relations with a Galra.”

Lance grabbed Keith’s short tail. “Well, fine, cuz I’d follow this mullet anywhere, to the next life and beyond.”

Shiro’s eyes darkened. “Don’t make good on that promise.”

_Ten Thousand Years Later…_

“It’s Keith!”

“Who?”

“You sure?”

“Oh, I’d know that mullet anywhere!”

And Lance followed.

 

**Soulmate - Klance & Shallura - The Cowardly Lion**

It physically hurt to watch Shiro struggle without his soulmate. His arm remained naked throughout his youth, save for the few words he wrote in hopes of getting a response.

It left Keith feeling guilty since his soulmate scribbled paragraphs on his skin, and he’d only reply with a few clipped sentences. But his cheeks flushed after every word written by his attentive would-be lover.

When they left Earth, Keith feared he’d never meet his soulmate, but then Shiro glanced down at his arm one day during a training session, a soft giggle escaping his parted lips. He only elaborated when Keith shot him a questioning gaze.

“Allura just wrote to me, and…y’know, it tickles.”

“Allura…?”

Shiro’s cheeks blew as red as Keith’s armor then, and he shrugged with an easy grin, “Yeah. Apparently, her soulmate never wrote to her, and you know mine never wrote to me – and well…” He lifted his left arm, and Keith swore he’d never seen Shiro happier. “…guess there was a good reason for that.”

But Keith’s usually chatty and rather obnoxious soulmate went silent after Keith left Earth. He wrote one last time before a training session, and as Keith slipped on his armor, Lance’s eyes all but bugged out. Days slipped into weeks, and Keith began to wonder if his soulmate found someone else.

That hurt more than Keith wanted to admit. Sure, Shiro was his “brother,” and the team his family but this person was literally born to be his. And they left him, too, just like his parents, just like everyone else before Shiro.

Keith mourned in his own time, accepting Shiro’s concerned gazes and Pidge’s babbling questions. He devoured Hunk’s cooking and even enjoyed fighting with Lance. The confidence Lance exuded, his friendly nature, even his good-natured ribbing – sometime in the year they’d been on the ship, Lance stopped being an annoyance and began sending Keith those warm smiles –  _seductive smiles_ , his mind whispered – and Keith worked his frustration out on the training deck.

Was he cheating on his soulmate? Shiro held out twenty-five years to find his. Should Keith? Would Keith’s wait that long for him?

His internal struggle lasted until the paladins took to their lions in the Zealten Keith remembered little of the fight, a Robeast getting the jump on Red. They’d crash-landed, rendering all Red’s communication systems mute, but a tingling on Keith left arm startled him from unconsciousness. Despite his aches and pains, he tore off his armor to read, “KEITH! KEITH! You okay? Write me back!”

The script was so familiar, Keith choked.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded later, back in the Castle of Lions.  

Confident, overzealous, excitable Lance went silent, and when he lifted his eyes, tears shimmered in them.

“I was scared.”

Keith heard the insecurities Lance didn’t speak, and he could think of only one way to dispel them.

He punched the coward – and then kissed him.    

 

**Pizza Boy - Klance - Saturday Night Delivery**

“You know, you could order your entire meal at once,” Keith said with just the right of exasperation and fondness. “Then I wouldn’t have come back three times every Saturday.”

Lance fumbled with the twenty in his hand as he gave it to Keith and didn’t ask for the change. “Well, yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”

He leaned against the apartment door, blending the right amount of nonchalance and allure – according to him, of course, though he heard Pidge scoff and Hunk sigh.

“Hey, Keith,” Hunk greeted, taking the latest order from Lance. “You want to come in? We’re only halfway through the original  _Godzilla_. Got a few more movies to go.”

Keith glanced down at his phone and shrugged. “Shiro hasn’t texted me to come back in yet, so…yeah. Thanks.”

As he stepped into the small, cramped apartment of the three college freshmen, Lance mouthed _, Thank you_ , to Hunk, who just sent me a knowing smile.

Such was the Saturday routine. It began a more than a year ago when Lance called the local parlor, Altean Pizza, and became smitten with the pizza boy. He ended up calling Keith back three times in one night to ask him out properly, but every time he screwed up. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but Pidge and Hunk refused to let him. They called the next Saturday. And the Saturday after that, multiple times per night.

After the third time, it was usually late and most of the orders were out. So when Lance asked, “So…uh, you want to come in?” Keith crashed on the beat-up love seat with Lance, and they munched on whatever the third order was that evening (chicken fingers).

Around twelve, Keith’s older brother usually texted him to come back to the shop, but this time when he stood, Keith blinked, as if waiting for something else. But what? Was he waiting for an invitation to stay? A bigger tip? A good-night kiss?

“Hey, uh…” Why did Keith look away? And was his hand trembling? “There’s a…there’s a monster movie expo next Friday. Shiro gave me the night off. You wanna go?”

Was Keith asking him out on a date? “Hell, yeah!” Lance responded, probably sounding a little too excited, but when Keith looked back, he was smiling. So yeah, Lance hadn’t screwed this new thing up.

But Keith did. A week later, Lance waited and waited and waited, but Keith never showed.

On his fuming stomp home, he passed Altean Pizza – maybe Shiro called Keith into work? – but the place looked closed up, which was kinda weird at eleven on a Friday.

Whatever. Keith’s loss.

Lance refused to call for pizza the next weekend, so Pidge did. A different pizza boy – this one with pimples and a cap – arrived with the first order in hand. Lance slumped in his too-big love seat and drowned his sorrows in pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese.

When Keith showed up on a Thursday three months later, Lance shrugged him off with a flippant, “Whatever, Mullet. We found a new place, all right? And I actually hate monster movies,” which was true. They only watched those horrible movies because Keith made an off-handed remark one Saturday about loving them.

Keith looked distraught and bitter, angered in a way Lance had never seen him, and he stormed away with a, “Screw you, Lance!”

So Lance didn’t expect Shiro to show up two days later with a free peace offering – and a missing arm.

“What the hell happened to you?” Lance gasped.

“A deer jumped in front my bike,” Shiro said, emotion straining his voice. “I swerved, but the road didn’t afford me the same courtesy.”

Geez.

“Hey. Don’t hold it against Keith,” he pleaded, sounding terribly upset. “I’m all he has left, y’know? Well, me and Allura now, but our parents died when I was barely eighteen. With the accident and all, he wouldn’t leave my side for weeks. And now I need him at the shop since I can’t…y’know…”

His leather jacket’s empty sleeve flapped when he lifted his stump.

The trio occupied the last stools at the end of the counter the next Saturday night, but Keith refused to acknowledge Lance. So Shiro took their orders and gave them free mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers. Lance began to come in Wednesdays, too, after class, and stayed for hours, just sketching Keith as he moved around the kitchen and dining area.

Lance also drew on the napkins, leaving little notes and doodles for Keith, and he began to wonder if Keith ever would forgive him.

But then, finally, almost a month and a half later, Keith drew a quick picture on the receipt of a stick figure getting eaten by a monster, and Lance thought – yeah, they’d be all right.

 

**Royalty - Gen - Heirs to the United King and Queendom of Galra and Altea**

Shiro and Allura decided before they married that the child they would eventually bore wouldn’t inherit the United King and Queendoms of Galra and Altea. Shiro came into the union with two adopted sons, Lance and Keith, both strapping young warriors who would make them proud as rulers.

Lance was the diplomat, gifted with words and tone that charmed every maiden and lad of the court. He spent hours helping to smooth disputes with his smile and sharp mind rather than his sword and brute. That was where Keith excelled, fast with the tongue but faster with his blade, and he ended any potential threats before they came to fruitions.

To choose one to carry on Galra and Altea’s proud heritage proved difficult. Shiro couldn’t choose between either. He loved his sons equally, and each proved himself worthy of the heavy burden. Shiro called them to the Grand Hall to discuss the matter, though Lance always had a perchance for resistance.

“Wait. You think I want to be king?” he laughed, tight and nervous. “Father, I don’t want to the crown. Keith is much better suited for it.”

Keith scoffed, “Yeah, right. I’ll probably take Galra and Altea into war.”

“And you think I could talk us out of one?”

“You could smile out of it, that’s for sure. Or charm another ruler’s wife or husband.”

“You could do it if you ever smiled.”

“I smile.”

“Not enough.”

Shiro blinked from his seat before the Grand Room’s fire. Neither of his sons wanted his throne?

“Father.” Keith fell to his knees and grabbed the opulent chair’s silver arm. “I wish to travel to Warlord Zarkon’s realm and stop his campaign of death and destruction.”

“No fair!” Lance fell to the opposite arm. “I wanted to head out to Zarkon’s realm!”

“I called sword first.”

“You  _always_  call sword first.”

“Enough!” Shiro snapped. “No one is going to Zarkon’s realm.”

War approached, and he needed to groom one of his sons to take his stead if something were to happen to Allura or him. Galra and Altea needed to keep a united front if they were to survive the imminent danger.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro narrowed his eyes at his sons. “Lance, you’ll take Altea. Keith, you’ll take Galra. Tomorrow, you are both to join Allura and me for our morning meetings. Do you understand?”

They looked at each other and then back at Shiro. “Yes, Father,” they said as one.

He should have known they’d run away to Zarkon’s realm to end the war before it even began, and when he got them back, he would make sure to ground them for the rest of their lives.  


	8. VLD Drabble Challenge Week Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second week’s drabbles for the [VLD Drabble Challenge](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/post/157414212779/30-day-challenge-masterpost-vld-drabbles) I’m currently writing on my [Tumblr](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> **Ships include:** Shallura, Gen, Shiro  & Keith, and Klance 
> 
> All these works are SFW. The only drabble missing from this chapter is the technology post, which I uploaded as [a separate story.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9961040) It is NSFW.
> 
> Thanks!

**Day 8** –  **Barkeep AU – Klance - Enough**

Keith wore a necklace made of luxite, and Lance grinned every fifth quintant when he walked into the seedy spaceport tavern and saw it. The surly bartender pulled twisted cocktails and searing drinks for the dredges of the Galra Empire, including but not limited to bounty hunters, quintessence runners, vicious mercenaries, and thieving nomads.

Lance was all of those.

On good quintants, Shiro would give Keith the rest of the night off, and the cute bartender who either spend it on Lance’s lap in the corner booth or they’d retire to Lance’s rusted spacecraft in the hanger less than three doboshes away. On bad quintants, Galra Sentries would occupy the stools, keeping Lance from flirting – or annoying – his favorite barkeep.

It wasn’t the best life. It wasn’t even a good life, and Lance knew he had nothing to offer Keith except for a few warm nights and the necklace he stole from a Galra warrior once. But as they occupied the same seat in the spacecraft’s cockpit, Keith’s legs dangling over Lance’s, his lover wearing nothing more than the necklace Lance gave him, he thought – it was enough.

As long as he had Keith, it would always be enough.  

 

 **Day 9 – Single Father AU – Shiro & Keith - Picking Up the Pieces**, in which Ryou is Keith’s dad (check out the awesome concept and art by [@kickingshoes](http://kickingshoes.tumblr.com/) -[here](http://kickingshoes.tumblr.com/post/157446223182/steeples-fingers-so-what-if-keiths-dad-looks))

“Shiro, what are we doing out here?” Keith asked as he set Red down upon the deserted asteroid.

Shiro sighed, replying in a brusque tone, “Fulfilling a promise.”

“Wow, that’s not cryptic at all,” Lance laughed.

Shiro didn’t care, didn’t want to be here as he exited Black and headed toward the rundown shack, the only structure on the asteroid. The paladins gathered behind him, creating a united front as a single figure came forward. He wore a dark hood, similar to the Blades of Marmora, and a faded coat, which reminded Shiro a bomber’s jacket back home.

The figure stopped directly in front of Shiro; his stance was easy, relaxed, but haughty.

“I didn’t think you’d hold up your end of the bargain,” the figure rasped, his voice altered to sound mechanical.

Shiro’s hands curled into trembling fists. “I’m not here for you. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t let you within a hundred systems of him.” Leaning closer, he whispered in a vehement threat, “You get one varga. That’s it – unless he wants more.”

Shiro felt Keith’s suspicious eyes following him, but he couldn’t look away. He wanted the dark figure to see the threat was anything but idle. He wouldn’t allow any harm to come to any member of his pride, especially his little brother.

The figure touched the side of his helmet, and the face mask became transparent, revealing his human identity.

Keith inhaled sharply. “…Dad?”

The man’s eyes diverted to Shiro’s right and softened. “Hello, son. Looks like Takashi has been taking care of you – considering.”

Shiro fought the urge to roll his eyes. Like Ryou was one to talk, leaving the kid alone in the middle of a desert for years. Sure, Shiro brought Keith into the middle of an intergalactic war, but – oh, hell. He was the worst parent in the universe, wasn’t he?

Keith was stricken, eyes trembling, face blanched, and Shiro wasn’t sure what he expected, didn’t know what Keith needed. But he would give him privacy – and then pick up the pieces when Ryou was done again.

That was his job, and despite loathing the man before him with the fire of Voltron’s sword, he would always be grateful to him.

He’d given Shiro the greatest gift.

Shiro clasped Keith on the shoulder, though he doubted Keith saw him. “We’ll be by the lions if you need us.”

As he stepped away, Keith’s hand latched onto his wrist with surprising strength. The Red Paladin glanced up, eyes frightened and so young.

“Stay,” he demanded.

And Shiro kept an arm’s length away, ready when to catch all the shards of Keith’s heart.

 

 **Day 10** **– Cinderella – Shallura - The Princess and the Paladin**

There were stolen looks and flustered greetings, and even a few innocent touches – on the back of the hand, on the curve of the hip, and across the cheek and even the forehead. And that was just the sort of signs that Shiro remembered using during his time at the garrison. He’d always had a rather eventful history with women, but he’d done most of the initiating. Having Allura “woo,” for lack of a better term, was intimidating.

Shiro wanted to reciprocate – any creature with a pulse would – but Allura was a princess. She probably had many suitors while growing up in the Altean Royal Court, and Shiro was frustratingly aware of his lack of status. He was a paladin, sure, and maybe even the Black Paladin was held in some sort of higher regard as the head of the Voltron, though he didn’t believe that. But what could he offer Allura other than his blatant physical assets?

It didn’t matter in the end, really. Three months after Voltron’s fight with Zarkon, Shiro learned of Allura’s engagement to Lotor. It wasn’t a political marriage, Shiro knew. It couldn’t have been. Allura would never allow herself to be degraded in such a way, would never give into the Galra in that manner, so when he returned to the castle ship nearly a year away, he respected Allura’s new status. He embraced Keith with fierce reclamation, cradled Pidge in his arms, engulfed Hunk with a bear hug, and scooped Lance up into a tender hold.

He never expected to be bent backwards by Allura and kissed within an inch of his life. Seriously. When she finally released him, he collapsed to the floor, sucking in ragged breaths and blinking with a bewildered expression.

“Welcome back, Paladin,” Allura said, voice still crisp and formal. She wiped off the corner of her mouth and then straightened her shoulders, hands resting in the curve of her lower back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an engagement to break off.”

Wait. What! Allura couldn’t possibly be ending her engagement to Lotor because of – because he – well, huh. Okay. After all, who was Shiro to disagree with a princess?

 

 **Day 11**  – **Ninja – Shiro & Keith – Miracle**

“Knowledge or death, Shiro,” Kolivan reminded in a terse voice that demanded submission.

Shiro wasn’t one to give that. He didn’t as a prisoner of the Galra. He refused when he fought against Zarkon himself. He wouldn’t bow to the Blade of Marmora, especially when it came to Keith.

Standing in the Blade’s headquarters, Shiro straightened his shoulders and balled his Galra fist. “Keith came here seeking answers when I was trapped in the astral plane. Where he is?”

Kolivan’s eyes narrowed in a dangerous glint. “There is only one way to obtain knowledge here.”

Fine, then. If that’s the way they wanted to play it… “I’ll undergo the trials.”

“Only Galra can survive. Your arm does not change what you are, Shiro. You will die.”

A challenging grin slid onto his lips. “Then I guess we’re about to see a miracle.”

Kolivan stared down at Shiro, eyes dark and relentless, and Shiro dared to meet them with his own defiance. A beat later, Kolivan called for an un-awakened blade, and Shiro counted that as the passing of his first trial.

As Shiro took a step forward, a fully-awaken blade soared through the air and buried in the floor, mere millimeters from his boot. A smaller member of the Blades flipped onto the balls of his feet and landed directly in front of Shiro, back turned toward the Black Paladin. He tore the blade from the rock floor and leveled it at Kolivan.

Kolivan seemed outraged, in a way Shiro had never seen the Galra. “Know your place, child.”

Shiro couldn’t help the tender grin that overtook his face. “He already does.”

 

 **Day 12** - **Crossover AU or the Voltron: Legendary Defender/Jem and the Holograms crossover no one asked for – Gen – Shiro and the Paladins**

Keith had his hero and his idol.

He worshiped his foster brother Takashi Shirogane. He spent most of his youth in Voltron Records, watching Takashi and his father, Zarkon, help struggling artists record their music and share their talent. During spare moments – and in between Keith’s dreaded algebra homework – Takashi taught him how to play the guitar, write music, and use the studio’s equipment.

Lance, Takashi’s annoying best friend, called him “Shadow” and “Right Arm” because he never left Takashi’s side.

Especially after Zarkon’s death.

Zarkon died just shy of Keith’s twelfth birthday, and Takashi had been devastated. Barely twenty, Keith’s foster brother was thrust into the CEO position of Voltron Records and burdened with the tremendous responsibilities that came with it. Keith lost his father, too, but he also lost his stability. Zarkon had wanted to adopt him but always feared his biological mother would one day want him back. And despite Keith’s tireless insistence he wanted to stay with the Shiroganes – the family that cared from him since before he could remember – Zarkon promised to adopt him on his eighteenth birthday if that was his desire.

But now – without Zarkon, where would he be? Would he be torn from the only family he’d ever known?

Takashi gave him very little time to worry. Red-eyed and hiccupping sobs, he tucked Keith against his side, said their father knew his end was coming, and made the necessary arrangements. Takashi would receive custody of Keith.

“You’re-You’re okay with that?”

Takashi kissed his temple and squeezed him tightly. “Never ask me that again,” he murmured. “ _Please_. You’re my brother. There is nowhere else you should ever be.”

Keith began to accompany Takashi on his business trips, learning from a tutor and completing lessons during flights or in the penthouses of five-star hotels. He and Takashi were always close, but Keith had stayed behind with their father when Takashi traveled the world with his close friends – Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Allura, and their manager and Zarkon’s best friend, Coran.

Now, Keith folded into Takashi’s life, learning how to keep the beat with Lance, play the bass with Hunk, wiggle the keys with Pidge, and manage the finances with Allura. Their band wasn’t famous, but Takashi’s friends were amazing in their own right…even if they traveled but never played. But where Takashi’s friends had always been  _Takashi’s friends_ , they now became Keith’s family.

Through the years, Keith adored and cherished Takashi, but he idolized Shiro. The rock ‘n’ roll star, lead singer of “Shiro and the Paladins,” created music with his soul. His voice was rich and deep, embracing the notes and hypnotizing any whom he graced with his gift. And he looked like a rock star with a tuft of white hair, a bad-ass scar across the bridge of his nose, and an enchanting smile that won men and women alike.

And he spent time with Keith.

Takashi signed Shiro and the Paladins to a Voltron Records’ contract a few months after Zarkon’s death, and their music skyrocketed the company to world fame. The group consisted of Shiro and three bandmates – the Blue, Yellow, and Green Paladins – with Shiro’s codename Black. Though their music was catchy and undoubtedly enjoyable, the mystery surrounding their true identities didn’t hurt their sales one bit.  

Since Shiro was the face of the group, he spent time at the studio and spoke the most during interviews, but he always made a point of finding Keith,  _listening_ to him, and encouraging him.

He was the epitome of cool, and Keith wanted to be just like him.

“What’re you working on there, buddy?” Takashi came into the hotel room they shared one evening, ruffling Keith’s hair as he collapsed onto the bed next to his brother.

Surrounded by ruffled papers with his guitar propped on his bent knee, Keith spat the pen out of his mouth. “Shiro asked me to write a song for the paladins.”

“Yeah?” Takashi beamed, pushing up onto his elbows. “What’re you writing about?”

Keith’s shoulders curled inward, voice solemn and gutted. “…Dad.”

Takashi’s smile only grew tender, and his hand came to cradle the back of Keith’s neck. “Sing it for me.”

It became Shiro and the Paladins’ third straight number one hit.

“This is stupid.” Lance’s voice blared from the living area of the penthouse one morning when Keith returned with bagels for the entire group. “You should have told him already, Takashi.”

Takashi sighed, loud enough for Keith to hear from the foyer. “He has the right to a normal life. I’ve deprived him of that enough.”

“You ever think that he doesn’t want to go to college?” Pidge this time. “It’s not like he needs to. He already writes our songs, and if he took over as lead guitarist, you could actually focus on being the lead singer. Interact with the fans more and – ”

“ –what about Galra Sound?” Takashi insisted. “I never want Keith to be part of that life. Synergy was my father’s technology, and it’s not his responsibility to protect it.”

“Why not?” Keith interjected, stepping into the room. His heart ached at Takashi’s words. “He was my father, too.”

He was, no matter what blood said.

Takashi grimaced, then sighed, running a hand over the bridge of his non-scarred nose. “I didn’t mean it like that, Keith. But you just graduated high school, where you barely had any semblance of a normal life. I can’t – I don’t want you to look back and regret coming on the road with me – ”

“ – and the Paladins?”

Everyone in the room stiffened; Keith had to bite back a growl. “Guys, you’re a rock group that never goes on stage, yet you happen to always be where Shiro and the Paladins perform? And you know I help Allura with the finances. How stupid do you think I am? I figured all this out like, five years ago.”

Because Takashi wasn’t just his hero and Shiro his idol, though he was both of those things. He was also and always Keith’s brother first.

Lance, of course, was the first to laugh, slinging his arm about Keith’s neck. “So we’ve been sneaking around for years for no reason? Geez, kid! You are one sly little dude.”

“Well, if you guys weren’t so lame and just told me from the start.”

Takashi’s hand clasped his shoulder, fingers clutching, pleading. “I wanted to protect you, Keith. I didn’t want to put you in the danger. The Galra – they’ll do anything to get this technology, and I – I couldn’t bear the thought of them going after you.”

“Is that why you made me take all those karate classes?” Keith interjected, then shook his head before Takashi could answer. “I want to be here, by your side with the paladins. You said I should never ask if that’s okay because I belong here. If you meant that, you’ll let me stay.”

The next time Shiro and the Paladins performed, they introduced their newest member – the lead guitarist, the Red Paladin.

And on his eighteenth birthday, Takashi formally adopted him.

 

**Day 13 – Magic – Gen – Altean Magic and What It Means to Humans (or Just Shiro)**

Allura had magic. Sparkling, glistening, mesmerizing magic that when used, gave her a shimmering pink glow to her body. It was breathtaking, Shiro admitted only to himself, and as the Black Paladin and the field commander, he thought it best to watch her train with Coran to see exactly how they could use Allura’s new found powers in battle.

Waiting on the side of the training deck, arms crossed, face neutral, he never imagined the moment she wove her first spell, the power would automatically launch itself at him.

Pain – searing, tearing, blinding agony – tore through him, the purple Galra energy threatening to tear his cybernetic arm from his body, and then – then a cool and soothing sensation swept through his body. When he managed to crack open his eyes, he didn’t see the light, fuchsia color of Galra energy that usually burned from his weaponized hand. Instead, a deep, rich violet energy glowed so dark he thought it was black. It flowed throughout his body, forcing the Galra energy back into its entrapment.

Shiro staggered, but the energy remained, ebbing and flowing about his body, blending and embracing Allura’s pink energy. He felt her, felt her wondering and frightened soul touch his own. It was bright and warm and brilliant, and then it retreated suddenly.

With its absence, Shiro collapsed to his knees, huffing and coughing, barely able to breathe as he felt bereft from the loss of her power…and his own?

When he lifted his head, he saw Allura in a similar position, on her knees, eyes blown wide and trembling with some realization.

Coran voiced it, shocked and breathless, “You’re Altean?”  

Hm. Being human was so twenty-first century.

 


	9. VLD Drabble Challenge Week Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is the third week’s drabbles for the [VLD Drabble Challenge](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/post/157414212779/30-day-challenge-masterpost-vld-drabbles) I’m currently writing on my [Tumblr](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> **Ships include:** Gen; Lance  & Keith; Lance & Shiro; Shiro & Keith
> 
> All these works are SFW. The two NSFW fills can be found via the link above. Thanks!

**Day 15** –  **Prison – Gen – Trust Fall**

Captured. Trapped. Confined. Restrained. Again.

The Galra captured the Paladins of Voltron, and they would beat Shiro. They would force him to fight and kill in the arena. They’d experiment on him, perhaps take his other arm or whatever else they liked. The pain. The pain – it wouldn’t end. And the others. The Galra would take Keith and Lance and Hunk and Pidge, and they’d do to them what they did to him and he couldn’t save his team. Oh, God, he couldn’t –

_Shiro? Shiro, can you hear me?_

He had to save them. The paladins were children, but the Galra wouldn’t care. The Galra would just use their youth and strength to prolong the torture until they screamed and begged, and he wouldn’t be able to help.

_Shiro? We’re here. Can I touch you? I’m going to grab your hand, okay?_

He wouldn’t even know where the Galra had them – unless, unless they’d make him listen to their –  

Someone grabbed his chained hands, and he flinched, feral eyes swinging toward the sudden attack. The hand upon him immediately released, and as the attacker came into view, a snarl died upon Shiro’s lips.

“It’s me, Shiro! It’s me!”

 _Keith_.

Shiro immediately slumped against the wall, relief flooding him. Keith was here, in the cell with him. The Galra hadn’t taken him away yet. Shifting – in his peripheral vision – and Shiro followed the movement to see Lance, Hunk, and Pidge huddled across the cell. The confinement was small – barely wide enough for them to sit comfortably, their boots lingering by his own. Thankfully, they seemed to know better than to touch him.

They were all unrestrained, thanks to Keith’s bayard, and Keith raised his sword in a wordless question. Shiro nodded and offered his restrained wrists to Keith again – he must have laid with his back toward Keith earlier, as if knowing the Red Paladin would protect him.

Once Keith cut him free, Shiro fell back against the wall of their tiny cell, elbows upon his bent knees. He gripped his hands in tight fists, hoping to hide their trembling.

“Is everyone okay?” At least that sounded somewhat steady.  

“It’s okay, Shiro,” Keith assured, making sure Shiro saw his hand before placing it upon his forearm. “Let us handle this.”

No. He was the adult, their field officer, their surrogate older brother and parental figure. He had to keep it together for them. By the Altean Ancients, they were just  _children_.    

“Hey, aren’t you the one always saying we need to protect each other?” Lance asked, coming to kneel before Shiro. Both his hands fell to Shiro’s boots, holding them at the ankles, grounding him in a reaffirming grip. “That means you, too, y’know? We’re a team.”

No, no. He couldn’t let them see how scared he was, how this was his worst fears coming alive, how he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking.

But Lance looked at him with earnest, wanting so desperately to help him, but Shiro overheard Lance telling the others how he idolized Shiro in the academy. He was Lance’s hero. How could he show the kid that he was flawed and broken and so worried that the torture he endured would happen all over again? That it could happen to Lance, too?

Though Lance still looked at him a hero or that unbreakable big brother, he also looked like a little brother who wanted simply to help that big brother, a little brother who had grown up and was now strong enough to help.

Pidge, too, placed a hand on Shiro’s knee, but she was the youngest, Matt’s little sister. Shiro needed to protect her, not let her know the horrors her brother endured. But she, like Lance, kept a firm, reassuring front, and she offered him a tiny but true smile.

“You’re a survivor, Shiro, and we’re going to get you out of here.”

And Hunk. Shiro wasn’t insanely close with the Yellow Paladin just yet, but he cherished Hunk and was learning how strong both physically and mentally the younger man was.

“Trust us,” Hunk pleaded, coming to place a hand on Shiro’s still quivering fist. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Keith pressed against his side, wrapping an arm around Shiro’s shoulders. “You’re not alone, Shiro. We’re here, and we’ll protect you. Let us be there for you like you’re always there for us.”

Searching their open gazes, Shiro found it so difficult to remain strong, and maybe – maybe he didn’t have to be. Perhaps there were times when he needed to be an infallible leader, but now was not one of them. This time, he could let them be strong for him.

His shaking increased as he let go of all his inhabitations, and his shoulders curled inward, as if to protect his heart. “I-I can’t handle this, guys,” he admitted in a muted scream. “I can’t be their prisoner again.”

“And you won’t be for long,” Lance vowed, “because we’re going to get out of here. All of us.”

And that’s just what they did.  

**Day 17** –  **Season/Holiday – Happy Birthday, Shiro! – Gen – Red Velvet and Blaster Fire**

Blaster fire slammed into battleship’s wall, inches from the crouching Shiro and Keith.

Keith growled, feral and vicious. “This was  _not_  on the schedule today!”

Shiro laughed, tucked behind Keith’s shield and pressing his Galra hand against the massive door’s lock. “You had a schedule?”

Keith’s violet eyes flashed with disbelief; his voice lightened, soft but offended. “Of course we did.”

Huh? Shiro didn’t turn away from his task – Pidge was hacking the doors from the Green Lion through his hand – but his incredulous expression must have conveyed his wordless question.

“The team got up early to decorate the rec room,” Keith continued, shifting his shield to catch the newest round of blaster fire, “which is hard for us because early for you is like Lance never getting to bed.”

“Why were you decorating – ”

“Hunk baked your favorite cake. Well, it’s not quite red velvet, but it’s the closest it can be here.”

“Cake?” Shiro pulled back his hands as the massive metal doors grinded and clunked, opening with a reverberating grumbling. “Why would Hunk bake a – ”

High-pitched zips caught their attention as the door opened to another set of sentries. Shiro sighed and glimpsed at Keith, who appeared furious with his hands trembling at his sides.

The lead sentry demanded, “Surrender or you’ll be – ”

It fell backwards, Keith’s bayard buried in its now smoking chest.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. Keith huffed and lifted his shield again. “What? He was talking too much.”

Shiro shook his head with a lingering smile, then lunged in front of Keith to block a sentry’s blast with his weaponized hand. As the other set of sentries appeared behind them, Keith huffed again, but Shiro felt him press against his back, ready to fight.

“Come on! I swear Zarkon is doing this on purpose!”

“Doing what?” Shiro sliced through a sentry and then kicked another two. “Messing with your schedule of random activities?”

“Random?” Hunk sounded breathless in Shiro’s helmet. “I worked two weeks to get that cake right.”

“And Allura and Coran scouted this planet with a challenging course, so we can train with our lions,” Lance groaned over the comms, too. “You and Keith are freaks, I swear. You actually like training. What’s up with that?”

Pidge’s curt voice sounded in their helmets over the chaos of the battle. “The crystal’s up ahead, behind Door Number Three. And just so you know, Lance went shopping at the space mall during the last Spicolian movement.”

Shiro spotted the door up ahead. “Why?”

“Because you need something to open,” Keith snapped, taking out another three sentries. “And Pidge made you this really cool amplifier that can turn your hand into a – ”

“Shh! Keith, don’t spoil it,” Hunk admonished.

“ _Anyway_ , the point is – sneaking onto a Galra battleship, getting caught, battling sentries, and recovering a mystical jewel to keep an innocent planet from falling apart, was not on the schedule!” Keith shouted.

Shiro grunted as he sliced off a sentry’s arm and turned to see Keith finishing up with his last attacker. “Guys, what are you talking about?”

“Shiro, It’s your birthday!” Pidge announced, voice bubbling. “How could you forget?”

“My… _birthday?”_ he faltered, meeting Keith’s beaming gaze as the Red Paladin approached. “That’s not until February.”

“And it’s February back on Earth,” Hunk interjected. “Coran did the calculations.”

Shiro motioned for Keith to guard the entryway as he opened Door Number Three, finding the highly sought-after glistening blue jewel waiting for him.

“Wow, guys, I don’t know what to say.” Even as he surveyed the jewel, which ebbed and flowed power, strapped to a platform in the very center of the room, Shiro couldn’t keep the genuine awe and delight from his voice. He  _was_  touched. “Thanks.”

He sliced through the wires and picked up the rather small rock in his hand, then pivoted to leave.

Oh, no.  Why was Lance giggling?

“Well, it was the least we could do, Shiro,” Lance said, voice full of mirth. “A guy only turns six  _once_.”

Shiro stopped just short of the room’s exit and downright glowered at Keith. “You told them.”

Keith glanced over his shoulder with a sinister little grin, then lifted his bayard as another set of sentries clanged down the hall. “Of course. Your birthday only comes around once every four years, Shiro.”

He was never going to let this down.  

Refusing to relent, Shiro clicked his tongue against his teeth and stared Keith down. Then he glanced at the approaching sentries before shifting his bitter gaze back to Keith.

Keith rolled his eyes. “You’re debating on whether or not to leave me here with the sentries, aren’t you?”

“Yup.”

In the end, Shiro didn’t, but only because it would have been evil for the Red Paladin not get a piece of red velvet cake.

 

 **Day 18** –  **Outlaws - Lance & Shiro, Shiro & Keith – Black and Blue**

Lance zoned out after he heard the Paladins of Voltron were known as outlaws on this particular planet – Rogue Planet 458 or something. The mission sounded bad ass, to infiltrate, lower a barrier, and then attack from the inside out – no doubt Shiro would choose Keith for his partner. Shiro always chose Keith for the super cool missions, no matter how much Lance pointed out Keith would…y’know, kill someone. So he slumped in his chair and debated about bugging Hunk to make him more of those awesome cookies he baked last week – they’d have vargas to wait, after all – when Shiro finished the briefing.

“Everyone understand the mission?”

There was a round of acknowledgements; Lance sighed. “So when do you and Keith leave?”

Or more importantly, when would he get some of Hunk’s cookies?

Shiro glanced over at Keith, who stood with his arms crossed, expression hopeful – it was annoyingly adorable, actually – when Shiro shrugged. “Uh, I actually wasn’t planning on taking Keith on this one, Lance. The seas near the city are too saturated with salt. It’ll corrode the Red Lion’s exterior, so we’ll have to use Blue on this one.”

And by extension, Lance.

Wait. What! Lance was tagged in?

_Take that, Mullet!_

Of course, it didn’t help that Shiro had to go over the mission parameters with him again, but Shiro didn’t seem to mind – too much. But once they entered Blue and submerged into the dark expanses of the sea, Shiro caught Lance off guard with his soft but raw tone. “Despite what you and the others think, I don’t favor Keith – or at least, not the way you think I do.”

Oh, great. Was he brought on this mission to get lectured? “Look, Shiro. We get it. You all but adopted Keith, and – ”

“I trained him,” Shiro interrupted without any heat. His words were fond and warm. “I know how he thinks, how he fights. I can predict his movements. When you know your partner so well, it yields a lower risk of injury and death in battle.”

Well, that unexpectedly hurt more than Lance thought it would, but it made sense. When Shiro paired him with Hunk or Pidge, missions did go more smoothly than when Lance fought alongside Keith and even Shiro.

“In Beta Traz, I didn’t take out the sentry because I didn’t trust you,” Shiro continued. “I took him out because I didn’t know you would be there.”

When he leaned back against Blue’s console, Shiro looked different than his usual infallible leader or decorated hero persona. He looked human – and  _young_. Lance knew Shiro wasn’t  _that_  much older than him, but he always seemed more mature.

“It’s my fault. We need to pair off more often, get to learn each other’s strengths during training. I should have been doing that from the start.”

Yup, there was the guilt. “It makes sense that you want to work the person you feel most comfortable.”

“And I couldn’t leave Keith on the ship when we were meeting with the Blade of Marmora,” Shiro interjected, exasperation now tainting his voice. “He was already snapping at you. I couldn’t imagine what I’d come back to if I left him there. Mutiny?”

That was true, but Keith snapped every time Shiro went on a mission without him – or just stared off into space, looking worried and forlorn, afraid his older brother wouldn’t return –  _again_.

Yeah, okay. Lance couldn’t be jealous of that, but still, he felt the need to vow, “I can be just as good as Keith.”

Shiro smiled, and it was unguarded and sincere. “You will be. You just haven’t had the personal training he’s gotten, but don’t worry. We’ll get there.”

Will, not can. Shiro believed Lance could rival Keith in combat. That filled Lance with a surge of confidence and warmth.

“And you’re the team’s sharpshooter,” Shiro continued, coming to clasp Lance’s shoulder in an encouraging manner. “You’re irreplaceable and an invaluable member of this team. Never doubt your abilities because I don’t. And I’m sorry I made you feel otherwise.”

Lance ducked his head, hoping the surge of embarrassment would subside. When it refused, he decided to deflect it with a teasing glint and a sinister little grin. “But Keith is still your favorite, right?”

Shiro’s cheeks burned, though his gentle smile never wavered. “He’s like a brother to me, Lance. I’ve watched out for him since I met him six years ago, but just because I love Keith, doesn’t mean I don’t love my other siblings, too.”

“Yeah? You got little ones back home?”

“No. I was an only child.”

Then what was Shiro – oh.  _Oh_.

“Come on,” Shiro encouraged, knocking Lance in the shoulder to get him to focus. “Let’s talk strategy before we get there. We need to have each other’s backs if we’re going to survive.”

Yeah. Wow. Somehow, this mission sent from totally cool – best mission ever! – to freaking terrifying in three solid seconds. Shiro had to trust  _him_ , just as much as Lance had to trust Shiro. And that was intimidating. Shiro was, undoubtedly, their best fighter and definitely worthy of the title “champion.” How could Lance keep up with him?

Shiro didn’t seem worried, only determined and focused, and Lance wouldn’t let him down.

Still, Lance was that annoying little brother who just didn’t know when to stop. “You know, we don’t call you our brother. We kinda have another nickname for you. Even Keith uses it sometimes.”

But only sometimes and it was hysterically funny when he did. They hardly saw Keith act so casual, like Shiro was now.

Shiro’s smile returned, easy and true.  “I just better get a mug next June.”

**Day 19** –  **Scars – Shiro & Keith – Invisible Scars**

Shiro wore the burden of his imprisonment on his face. Every time he rubbed his nose in frustration, every time he looked in the mirror, he was reminded of time as a gladiator, as a slave.

He didn’t know how he’d gotten the scar, only that he couldn’t escape the sins of the past – both his own and those that had been done to him.

Keith only had to look away from Shiro to be reminded of the desperation and isolation he suffered during Shiro’s imprisonment, for the fear never went away. It lingered on the edge of consciousness every time Shiro disappeared from his sight.

Shiro smiled and tried to reassure Keith with soothing words and firm touches, and Keith always tucked his hand into Shiro’s, helping to draw him back the present when the memories drowned him in the past.  

But the bitter truth remained.

Perhaps the worst scars were the ones you couldn’t see.

**Day 20** –  **Sports AU – Bromance, Lance** ** & Keith – Partners in Soccer (and Revenge)**

Freshman year sucked for Lance. Sure, his classes began well. He was always a terrible student but a good learner. Answers on tests and homework came easy.

But Lance was on JV and Keith made varsity.

It really wasn’t a big thing, other than the fact that, y’know, it was. Lance and Keith weren’t best friends from the diapers – not like Lance and Hunk – but they were close to it. They went to the same schools, had the same classes, been in the same soccer club since kindergarten. They were rivals. They were friends. They were brothers from another mother and fought like it.

That didn’t change because Keith made varsity. Sure, Keith was maybe a smidge better than Lance – not that Lance would ever say that to Keith’s face, mind you. Keith played the role of newbie benchwarmer, only getting in a few minutes at the end of the game if the score wasn’t close. Plus, Keith’s awesome brother, Shiro, whom Lance idolized since, like, forever, was co-captain, which was unheard of for a junior. But Shiro was  _that_  good. Future Division I forward, scouted for the U.S. Men’s Team. No doubt, he’d be playing in the World Cup in no time.

So it only made sense that varsity would take Keith. Natural talent ran in the family.

Lance hardly played for JV. The stupid captain, Sendak, put Lance in a few minutes in the second quarter, let him score one or two goals to get the team ahead. Then he’d pull Lance out fast.  

“Newbie minutes,” Sendak called them. He also gave Lance and the other freshmen “newbie duties,” like cleaning up the locker rooms, carrying the sophomore’s bags, and running extra laps around the field.

Apparently, Sendak played forward, too, and since Shiro was Shiro and watched JV games with Keith to encourage Lance, Sendak took offense.

Lance headed home every night with new bruises.

Lance debated quitting numerous times, but Keith was always there, edging him forward, reminding him that they’ll be on the same team soon. He didn’t say it like that – Keith was socially inept – but Lance spoke Keith-ese fluently. Lance knew what Keith meant.

But then Shiro went down. Galra Academy’s captain Zarkon took out Shiro’s legs with a dirty slide tackle and received a yellow card, but the damage had been done.

Shiro tore ligaments.

Where Shiro once had try-outs scheduled for colleges and national teams, he now had surgeries. They didn’t know if he’d even be able to walk normally again, let alone play.

Lance skipped training camp the next summer. Without Shiro’s guidance and under Sendak’s cruel thumb, Lance abandoned all hope – until his bedroom slammed open.

“Grab your stuff,” Keith growled, cleats hanging over his shoulder.

“Dude, what are you - ?’

“I already lost Shiro. I’m not losing you, too. Let’s go.”

“Are you freakin’ mad?” Lance growled. “I’m not – I can’t –  _why_?”

“Revenge. Don’t you want that? For us? For  _Shiro_?”

Well, how could Lance say no to that?


	10. VLD Drabble Challenge Week Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the finalweek’s drabbles for the [VLD Drabble Challenge](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/post/157414212779/30-day-challenge-masterpost-vld-drabbles). The challenge finished up today! Whoo! 
> 
> **Ships:** Shiro  & Keith; Klance; Shallura; Kallura; Pidge & Keith (sis-bro-mance); Shiro/Lotor; Heith; Shiro & Ulaz; Shiro & Alfor

**Day 23** -  **Wings AU – Shiro & Keith – Little Wing**

 _Come on, kiddo. You can do it_.

It was heartbreaking to watch Keith’s jaded mind work, those young, violet eyes trembling as they stared at the proffered hand. He tried so desperately to resist, not to give into the temptation to trust, fearful of what that would mean.

Shiro found the eight-year-old fledgling huddled in a makeshift nest with only a dagger to protect him. It took coaxing – lots and lots of coaxing  _and_  a handful of juniberries – for Keith to accept Shiro’s offer to take him home.

Two years later, and Shiro still struggled to earn Keith’s trust. And this was the ultimate test – allowing another Avian to help him fly. Keith’s flight feathers finally came in, a bit late but there nonetheless, and they were beautiful, a lovely mix of a robin’s vibrant red and a starling’s shimmering black. They needed to be used, but to do so required complete trust in another Avian. Keith would have to let Shiro lift him off the ground and then sustain him in mid-air, so Keith could test his feathers and strengthen his flight muscles.

And trust was just not Keith’s thing.

But that was all right. Shiro wouldn’t pressure him. Instead, he’d keep flapping, creating a breeze that brushed back Keith’s long bangs. It hurt. His muscle strained to keep him off the ground and just beyond the cliff, hovering hundreds of feet in the air to show his willingness to help Keith. He’d keep his hand out and hope Keith would eventually take it.

One day, there would be no hesitation. Even if it took another two years, another five, Shiro would work and earn Keith’s trust until the little wing would accept his hand and affection without question.

For now, he’d struggle through the muscle pain to hover above ground. He’d hold out his hand and keep his smile warm and encouraging.

He’d wait for however long it took until Keith trusted him.  

(It took another five minutes and a handful of juniberries. Shiro was not above bribery.)

**Day 24** **– Flower Shop AU – Klance – Bad Pick-Up Lines are Always Better Received with Roses**

“That’ll be three-fifty,” Keith replied after the patron gave his order, and along with the single dollar bill and $2.50 worth of change – including forty-three pennies – Keith also received a thorn-less lavender rose.

“Keep it.” The teen with shimmering eyes, a black apron, and a cheeky smile gleamed. “A rose by any other name is Keith.”

Keith felt his cheeks burn and subsequently loathed his brother for making him wear a nametag. Did people really need to know his name to order their coffee, especially customers who used bad pick-up lines?

Keith replied oh-so-intelligently, “Wha-I-huh?”

The teen just winked and headed along the counter to pick up his offer. Shiro, the jerk, muttered, “Hey, not bad, kid. Keep at it.”

That earned him a rather scathing glare and a weekend cleaning up the backroom – alone.

But the kid – Lance, Keith learned later – came back day after day during his break from the flower shop down the street, and every time he brought Keith a new flower – and a different horrible pick-up line.

“Pink?”

“The pretty color your cheeks will be as soon as I finish this line.”

“Yellow?”

“Like your halo…angel.”

“White?”

“The color of the froth, which I know you make extra special just for me.”

“Orange?”

“The color of the sunset, which will never fall upon our love, babe.”

“Blue?”

“Mystery. Every relationship has a little mystery.”

Keith twirled the thin by sturdy stem between his forefinger and thumb. “Like the reason you keep bringing me flowers?”

Lance’s eyes immediately darkened, face falling in a cool countenance, smoothed by obvious sadness. “I guess it’s a little old-fashioned, but it’s not a mystery.”

“Dude, there’s a tip jar. You can use that.”

Lance sulked back to the counter to pick up his drink, and Shiro patted on the shoulder. “Don’t blame Keith. No one’s ever really made an effort, y’know? After first growl, they run.”

And so did Lance, not returning to the coffee shop for another week. When Keith wondered out loud what scared him off, Shiro facepalmed. “Will you just go talk to him?”

“But why? He’s the one who decided to stop coming in. Why should I have to –”

“ _Keith_ , you are not this dense.” Shiro sighed. “Lance doesn’t come in for the coffee, alright? And flowers are not tips. They’re  _gifts_.”

“ _Gifts?_  Why would Lance bring me gifts every day?”

“For the exact same reason you place them in that vase in the backroom. And by the way, I’m throwing them out the moment I see one of those little gnats flying around.”

Keith blinked, trapped in a trance the second after Shiro hit him with that realization. Lance liked him? Like,  _liked him_  liked him?

And then Shiro was his usual ruthless self, shoving an already-made drink into Keith’s hand – Lance’s favorite – and sending him on his way. Keith floated with a stupid, love-sick grin slowly cracking his usual serious expression. Was that really why Lance kept coming back into the store and giving him gifts? But Lance was just a flirt. He probably flirted with every shopkeeper on the corner.

But then Keith walked into the flower shop, and the familiar scents and aromas overwhelmed him. The shop, itself, smelled like Lance, fresh and bright and anything but serene.

A nervous tingling set in his stomach, but he couldn’t back down now. Shiro would never stand for it, and Keith – Keith wanted to see Lance. He approached in a slow glide, picking up a single flower as he passed a stand, and as Lance turned from the register, Keith presented the latte and the flower – a single red rose.

Lance’s eyes danced; his smile was so warm that Keith nearly withered in its embrace.

“That’ll be three-fifty,” Lance teased, taking Keith’s hand, not the rose, “but I can take another form of payment.”

First kisses weren’t ever good, but Keith hoped Lance thought it was worth the rose.

(Lance did.)

**Day 25** –  **Office AU – Shallura -** **Date Planner**

Shiro owed Allura for everything.

After being honorably discharged from the Marines, down one arm and carrying PTSD, Allura hired him at Voltron Designs. At first, his job simply entailed getting her coffee – “mocha latte, extra whip, sprinkles, please” – and managing her schedule, before it quickly upgraded to helping Allura with approvals for upcoming designs and shipping manifests. He accompanied her on trips around the world, and though his title never changed – personal assistant to the CEO – he went having a job to enjoying a career.  

He earned enough for a prosthetic that worked almost exactly like his lost arm had. He moved into his own apartment on the Upper West Side, and Allura even gave Keith, a former marine who used to be in Shiro’s company, a job in design after he was dishonorably discharged following the “accident.” (Now, three years later, Keith helmed the design department, much to the equal disdain and excitement of Lance, the head copywriter).

But Shiro would never let his feelings – or something as meaningless as a crush – get in the way of all he cherished. Voltron Designs wasn’t just his place of business – it was his home. And after all, what would the multi-million dollar heiress see in a former commando with night terrors and a fake arm?

Shiro pushed his feelings aside yet again as he entered Allura’s office, mesmerized by her beautiful – if albeit quirky – features. Pen trapped between those perfect teeth, glistening hair wrapped up in a messy bun, comfortable jogging pants accompanying Shiro’s old Marine shirt. He’d let her borrow it after a coffee mishap and never asked for it since he loved the way it hung loosely over her curves and bunched in her lap. Allura never offered to return it, instead choosing to wear it whenever she stayed late in the office).

Shaking off his enchantment, Shiro placed her coffee cup in front of her before taking a seat on the edge of the desk. 

“You should head home,” he encouraged, taking a sip of his own latte with a double shot of espresso. “It’s Friday night. I can finish this up, Princess.”

Lance and Coran, the COO, called her that, and Shiro thought it fit perfectly.

Allura glanced up from her papers, a soft smile upon her features. “It’s your Friday night, too. I’m sure you have somewhere to be.”

He’d laugh if that wasn’t so absurd. There wasn’t anywhere in the world he’d rather be.

“I’ve take enough of your time as it is,” she continued. “Thank you so much for staying.”

He shrugged, uncomfortable under that innocent, kind gaze. “It’s nothing. My job is to assist you, so I’ll be here as long as you are.”

“And sign my signature when I am not.”

“That, too.”

“But it isn’t just because of the check, is it?” she asked, a vulnerable tone in her usually unwavering voice. “I hope you enjoy working at Voltron Designs… _with_  me.”

“Of course. I-I must admit.” He should shut up. He should shut up right now. “I enjoy our Friday evenings at the office.”

Dinner. Discussion. Sometimes they even popped in a movie after they finished all the tasks and vegged in the lounge.

Allura glanced away, biting her lower lip in an adorable fashion, and asked in a tight voice, “Do have my schedule for next week?” 

A few taps brought it up on his cell phone. “Next Monday through Wednesday, we’re in Cancun for that photoshoot with Hard Rock. Thursday, you’ll be in the office most of the day, and we’ll leave right from here for the gala dinner with the mayor.”

“Yes. Right. Thank you, Shiro. Will you attend with me?”

“Of course.” He blew across his coffee before taking a sip. “I’ll go wherever you need me.”

And he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see her in a shimmering gown, luscious hair tumbling down her back, and those legs that just wouldn’t end.

“No.” She glanced away, cheeks stained red. “Will you attend  _with_  me? As my date?”

There were so many things that could wrong. His whole world, the one he spent three years rebuilding, could crumble if he made the wrong move. He could lose the best thing that ever happened to him, but he couldn’t stop himself from replying.

“Does eight work for you, Princess?”

 

 **Day 26** –  **Fake Marriage – Kallura – Taking One for the Team**

“Are you sure about this? Maybe you want Hunk or Pidge. Or hell, even Lance.”

Allura glanced down at Keith and crossed her arms. “The mission demands a fighter, Keith. Amazon-12 is a warrior planet, and…I would rather not have brought Lance. He was too… _enthusiastic_.”

“But me? Allura, it must be difficult to…to…”

“To pretend to be married to a Galra?” Allura sighed and dropped her hand, threading her fingers with his. “No, I do not mind pretending to be married to you – though it does frustrate me how the Amazons believe that men are nothing more than their possessions.”

Despite himself, Keith blushed, and he once again found himself wishing Shiro was with them. The Black Paladin would have effectively played the role of “Princess Allura’s consort,” blushing and all, but it wouldn’t have to be Keith. He guessed this constituted a “leader” duty – or, as Pidge put it, Keith “taking one for the team.” Lance called him lucky, which…yeah, Keith guessed he was.

After all, Allura’s smile made the sun seem dim, and her scent was an intoxicating blend of juniberries and fresh mint. Her hand was somehow both a soothing presence and an exciting prospect.

No, no. He had this. Patience yielded – oh, her glove rubbed against his, sending tingles up his arm.

_Keep it in check, Keith._

He thought it did a good enough job, standing a step behind Allura and trying not to ogle her lovely form as she spoke to the Amazons. Then the women warriors demanded Allura prove her dominance over her “mate,” and Keith uncrossed his arms. Great. What would that entail? And why was Allura walking toward him with that determined stride and expression?

Allura’s touch was gentle, cradling, as her hand skimmed across his cheek, and then she ducked her head. Her lips pressed firmly against his own.

After his initial whine of protest, Allura deepened the embrace, tongue sweeping over his bottom lip and coaxing him to relax. And Keith complied, eyes slipping shut, body molding against hers. He moved with Allura, allowing her hand to support his head and her arm to wrap about his waist.

When she finally pulled away, leaving his tongue reaching for hers, lips tingling, Keith found himself wishing they weren’t just pretending to be married. He realized how much he wanted to be with her, and by the whispered, “Let’s continue this in the pod on the way back,” he thought she might feel the same way.

 

 **Day 27** **- Pub AU – Shiro/Lotor, Klance (mentioned) - The Black Cat** (quasi-sequel to Day 8′s prompt fill, [Enough](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/post/157453609269/drabble-enough).)

“Do I have reason to be concerned,  _Takashi_?” Lotor’s smile was subdued, barely existent, but sinister under the shimmering curtain of white hair. “I’ve heard that my loyal cat might have scratched the hand of his master.”

Once more grateful that Lance dragged Keith away from the Paladin Spaceport Pub for the night, Shiro pulled another nuvill from the tap and set it upon the bar. “If you believe that, your highness, then perhaps you should put Sendak down.”

Lotor laughed. “Hm. I was talking about my unlucky black cat. He gets himself into trouble all the time, being taken captive by my father and losing his arm. He should be grateful I give him so much attention, or I might have left him to fend for himself in the gladiator games.”

“I am always grateful for your kindness, my prince.” Shiro tightened his hand – his Galra hand – into a tight fist before letting his shoulders droop in defeat. “I owe you my life.”

“And thus, you belong to me, Takashi.” A dangerous tone infiltrated Lotor’s serene voice. “Don’t forget it.”

Shiro forced a genial smile. “As if you would ever let me.”

“Oh, don’t be so grim. You have freedom, Takashi. You have this bar, your kitten. I even let you help the Blade of Marmora in its futile resistance against my father.” A threateningly sharp claw retraced the scar across Shiro’s nose, eliciting a fierce shiver. “All I ask is that you do not nuzzle another.”

“I do not like to be picked up by the scruff.”

“And I am not fond of your hissing kitten, but I will collar him to keep you from straying, Takashi.”

No other words were needed. “What will you have of me, my prince?”

Lotor’s long, elegant fingers reached up to trail through Shiro’s white lock, coaxing, petting. “Anything I want.”

 

 **Day 28** -  **Roommate AU – Keith & Pidge (BOTP) - Kit-Kats**

“Roommate” was a bit of a stretch when discussing the elusive Keith Kogane. Ever since Pidge joined the garrison mid-semester, she barely saw her bunkmate. He dragged himself into the room late, left early, and hid underneath his blanket the other times he happened to be in their shared space. The light of his tablet glowed in the makeshift tent, and Pidge guessed Keith just liked to keep to himself.

Good. She didn’t need him looking into what she was doing or looking too closely  _at_  her.

They existed, never talking, barely registering each other until she fell asleep while researching one night, drooling on her screen, glasses skewed. When she awoke, she started at her roommate’s intense glare.

Keith had emerged from his blanket tent, wearing a loose red T-shirt and pajama bottoms; his arms were crossed, face incensed.

“Why are you researching the Kerberos Mission? The garrison’s statement was pretty clear.”

So Keith was one of  _those_ cadets, blaming the crew for the mission’s failure.

But Sam adored Shiro, and Matt and Shiro were close, almost brothers. They wouldn’t have made any communication mistakes.

“The Kerberos Mission didn’t crash,” she exploded. “There’s no evidence of the shuttle anywhere on Kerberos, so the garrison is trying to cover something up.”

“I know.”

“I don’t care what you think. I’m going to find out the truth - “

"Yes.”

“- and I’m going to find my family!”

“Me, too.”

Pidge huffed, exhausted suddenly and frustrated and - and - what did Keith say?

“Wait. You…too?” How was that possible? Unless…

Keith looked away, hands tumbling to his thighs in fierce fists. “Shiro was the best pilot in the garrison. He wouldn’t have crashed like that. He trained his entire life for this mission. Iverson is definitely hiding something, and I’m going to find out what.”

Realization hit Pidge hard. “You’re Keith!  _Shiro’s_ Keith. Matt used to call you Shiro’s hissing kitten.”

Color bloomed on Keith’s cheeks, highlighting his glistening purple eyes, and Pidge thought he was quite adorable. Matt was right. Keith looked like a snarling kitten, and Pidge just wanted to scratch behind his ears.

Keith turned on his heel and tossed the blanket off his computer. “We should compare notes.”

Pidge smiled, gathered her notebook and tablet, and sat cross-legged on Keith’s bed. They spoke through the night, but not just about the mission and the cover-up but about Sam’s love of freeze-dried pees and Shiro’s mac and cheese obsession, and Matt’s hatred of all things peach.

They spoke and laughed, and by the end, formulated schemes. They sat together at lunch and traded findings. They crashed on one of their beds at night, gazing up at the sparkling stars and wondering, hoping.

“So what’s your real name?” Keith asked one night.

Pidge glared up at him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not a Pidge. That was just to get into the garrison, right?”

Pidge hesitated, not wanting to go back to being all alone in her crusade, but this was Keith. She trusted him. “Katie.”

He chuckled, and Pidge hit him.

“Hey!”

“What’s with the laughing?”

“Matt called us Kit-Kats once. I didn’t realize it was because both our names start with K.”

Yeah. That sounded like Matt, and the thought made her smile.

A few weeks later, Pidge came back to the the dorm room to find an officer standing guard.

“Keith!”

Keith stopped packing his duffle and shrugged helplessly. “I’ve been expelled.”

“What!”

“Keep packing,” the officer snapped. “Just your personal items!”

Pidge growled, ready to give the officer a piece of her mind, when Keith clasped her shoulder. “Hey. I left you my Kit-Kat stash, all right?”

He pulled her into a quick hug - Keith hugged her! - and whispered, “Be careful, Katie.”

In their Kit-Kat draw, she found a note, crumpled and written in hasty handwriting,  _Voltron_.

 

**Day 29 – Waiter AU – Heith – Compliments to the Chef**

“Compliments to the chef… _again_. Seriously, what do you put in these dishes, Hunk?”

From behind the heat lamps, Hunk laughed and placed another completed dish up for Keith to serve. “Just a special blend of herbs and spices, cultivated by a gourmand’s palate twenty-six years in maturation.”

Keith shook his head with that tender but genuine smile he showed a select few and headed back into the main dining room of Hunk’s restaurant, the Hungry Lion. A three-star Michelin establishment, it was world-renowned, but it wasn’t just Hunk’s tasty dishes that kept their reservation list filled months in advance. It was also their impeccable service, led by none other than the usually curt but always attentive Keith as its top waiter.

Keith came in early and stayed late, helping Hunk set up and clean up, and he even offered to lock up. Hunk sometimes took Keith up on it – the executive chef was bushed, especially during the holidays – and Hunk just thought Keith was appreciative for employment. It never occurred him that Keith had an underlying motive until Hunk forgot his car keys in his office one night and returned to find Keith tying a chef’s apron about his back, dressed only in jeans and a tight T-shirt.

“Uh…this isn’t what it looks like…?” Keith said, his own set of knives laid out upon the work area.

“Looks like you’re about ready to cook something  _in my kitchen_ ,” Hunk said, though there was little heat to his words. They teased, especially since Keith looked sheepish, face red-tinted, expression embarrassed.

“Okay, maybe it’s exactly what it looks like.”

Maybe Hunk wasn’t that tired after all. “Need help?”

Keith blinked, then rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, actually, if you don’t mind. My international cuisine course is on Italy this semester, and I’m having problems getting the  _crostini di fegato_  right.”

“All right!” Hunk cheered. “Bring on the chicken liver!”

That brought a reserved smile to Keith’s face, and they went to work on the dish together.

Hunk began by pointing out the routine for cleaning chicken liver and then chopping up parley and anchovies. The conversation remained static until Keith finally brought out the frying pan, and Hunk pushed up on a stool by the island, relaxing with his elbows back on the counter. “So you do this every time I let you lock up?”

Keith’s shoulders bunched. “…maybe.”

“You could have just told me, man. I would have let you use the kitchen anytime. No problem.”

When the only sound that came from Keith’s direction was the soft sizzling of the pan, Hunk prodded, “Keith? Talk to me, huh? I can’t help if you don’t – ”

“You’ve already done so much for me, Hunk,” Keith replied.

“Don’t forget the salt and pepper – and what do you mean? I gave you a job, Keith. That’s it. You’ve made it your own and even helped get me that third star.”

“But – But you didn’t have to. If Lance hadn’t begged you – ”

“He didn’t beg. He asked if I had an opening, and anyway,  _you_  could have asked me. If you hadn’t just disappeared during our second year of university…” Hunk walked over the wine closet and returned with a chilled white wine and two glasses. Keith had yet to turn to him. So Hunk glanced over his shoulder and muttered, “Add the dissolved flour now.”

Keith followed orders, almost in a robotic manner, causing Hunk to let out a sigh.

“Come on, Keith. We were friends. You, me, Lance, Pidge. We went to high school together. We picked the colleges near each other, and you just upped and –”

“You remember Shiro.”

Hunk’s eyes widened considerably. “Oh, man. I love your bro! Y’know, he brought me my first beer.”

Emotion returned to Keith’s voice, warm and fond. “Yeah, he’s awesome.”

“How’s he doing?”

And then it left again. “He lost an arm in Iraq during his second tour with the Marines.”

Hunk hunched over, pain in his gut like he’d been hit. “Wow. That sucks. I’m sorry to hear that. Is-Is he okay?” Or as okay as anyone could be after that.

Keith shrugged, stirring again. “He is now, but it wasn’t just the arm. He – some serious stuff happened over there, and he returned with PTSD. He’s in therapy now and found a good job. Got engaged to this British artist.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Hunk uncorked the wine and eyed the bread, buttering the sides and placing the slices on the warm grill himself. “So you were – ”

“Yeah.”

“And you dropped out to –”

“Yup.”

“And you didn’t think to tell us?”

Keith tensed again, so Hunk rested a warm hand upon his friend’s shoulder and waited. And waited. And then turned off the stove himself when the pâté finished.

“It was  _bad_ , Hunk. I didn’t – Shiro needed me, and I didn’t know how he…I didn’t think to – If Lance hadn’t kept annoying me with texts and emails – ”

“He loves you, Keith. We all do.” Softer, he added, “I wish you would have told me. You didn’t have to go through that alone.”

Keith ducked his head, so Hunk pretended not to see the tears that stained his cheeks. Geez. He knew Shiro and Keith were private people, but they’d all grown up with Shiro as their favorite parental figure. He picked them up at soccer practice or school, and dropped them off home or brought them back to Keith’s and his for the night. Almost all of his favorite memories from his youth happened with those two, and now – to hear all they went through alone –

“I’m sorry,” Keith muttered, wiping his red-rimmed eyes with the back of his hand. “I just – I didn’t want to bother anyone with our – “

“It’s not bothering.” Hunk’s hand gripped Keith’s shoulders, gazing down into those trembling violet irises. “It’s never bothering when it’s you.”

Hunk hadn’t meant to put such a tender tone in his voice, but it was there. He wouldn’t take it back. After all, Shiro had given him that first beer in hopes that it would give Hunk enough courage to finally tell Keith how he felt. Instead, Hunk ended up passed out on the living room couch.

The memory still twisted uncomfortably in his gut, but Keith dispelled it when he ducked his head, shoulders shuddering. “I missed you, y’know. I thought of calling so many times, especially you, Hunk. But I didn’t want to take advantage. You give everything to everyone, and I thought –”

“You should’ve.” And  _he_  should’ve, too. Hunk never should have left it to Lance to coax Keith back from oblivion. “But you’re here now, and we’re never letting you go again.”

_I’m never letting you go again._

As if Keith heard him, Keith reached up and clasped Hunk’s hands upon his shoulders, letting one of those genuine smiles show. Suddenly, Hunk felt he was back in high school, and Keith was on the soccer field, smiling up at him after scoring a goal.  _Quiznak_. Hunk’s heart melted all over again.  

“Come on,” Hunk barely managed, leading Keith toward the counter, where he’d set up the silverware and wine glasses with two stools. “Let’s see how this tastes.”

As Keith poured the wine, Hunk completed the dish’s presentation. “So when do you graduate from the culinary institute?”

“Another two years or so. I still have baking and pastry essentials, culinary masters, and an externalship.”

“Well, you’ll do your externalship here –” Hunk’s voice left no room for discussion. “– and I just hope once you graduate, you’ll let me make an offer. Rolo’s decent, but I could seriously use a good sou chef.”

Keith’s purple eyes sparkled in the low-lighting. “Yeah? Really?”

Hunk served the dish with a reverent bow, stealing another surprised grin from Keith. “Yeah, of course. You’re a natural at this, Keith. I can’t wait to get you in my kitchen full-time, not just as a part-time visitor.”

Keith’s cheeks bloomed, and he lifted up his wine class for a toast. “Y’know, I could be in your kitchen full-time already, maybe just not your work one.”

Hunk held his glass just short of Keith’s. He couldn’t have heard that right. “What-What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’d like to try on your hat and apron in your apartment’s kitchen one day, and maybe just those things.”

 _Don’t create the mental image. Don’t create the mental image. Don’t create the – oh, delectable._  “Just so you know, I’m the executive chef in every kitchen I own.”

Keith clinked his glass with Hunk’s. “I’ll have to give my compliments to the chef, then.”

Hunk would drink to that.

**Day 30** –  **Commuter AU** \- **Shiro & Ulaz - Prey**

Shiro felt the eyes of the Galra settling upon his back – and perhaps even lower – and he fidgeted with his backpack over his shoulder. He’d seen the lavender-faced Galra every morning on the skyway on his way to university. The Galra, dressed in a well-pressed, form-fitting suit, scrutinized Shiro, devoured Shiro with his eyes, but Shiro learned at a young age how to protect himself. Humans were rare and exotic creatures in the Galra Empire, and he refused to allow himself to fall prey.

Which was why he liked to do the hunting.  

When the Galra exited his train at the usual stop, Shiro followed him. He wanted to know where the Galra went every morning, why he took the train, and if Shiro needed to worry. Did the man work for Zarkon or one of the defense organizations? Was he rebel? Or just one of the many citizens of the Galra Empire?

Perhaps he was an undocumented citizen, like Shiro, who lived in the shadows of the empire and hoped never to be discovered?

Shiro lost the Galra within three dobashes and continued onto class. 

The routine remained until one day, the Galra wasn’t on his train. Skipping class, Shiro looked over his shoulder the whole way home, wondering and fearing. And he thought he was just jumping at shadows and worrying over nothing, but he still slammed shut his front door and locked all five of its mechanisms. With a sigh, he stepped into his living room and froze, finding the Galra lounging on his couch.

“Hello, Prince Lotor. Or do you prefer  _Shiro_ now?” the Galra shook his head. “It matters little. It is time for you to full-fill your duty.”

_Oh, quiznak._

 

 **Day 31** –  **Reincarnation AU** – **Shiro & Alfor; Shallura (mentioned) – My King**

Dark boots stepped up to the crystal in the virtual reality chamber, and then a hand pressed against the activation mechanism. Alfor’s distinguished figure appeared, though his eyes softened immediately, taking on a fond glint.

“Takashi, it is good to see you again.”

“And you as well…Uncle Alfor.” Shiro settled on the floor before the hologram, and the mice took advantage, coming to lay upon his bent knees. “I cannot believe it has been ten thousand years since Galra and Altea were destroyed. So much has changed and yet Father – ”

“Your father has not and will never find what he sought with universal domination,” Alfor replied, crisp and true. “He cannot bring your brother back, no matter how hard he tries.”

“Lotor is alive, Uncle,” Shiro said. “I met him when Father held me prisoner. He-He is not well. Haggar’s dark magic dragged him from the other side.”

Alfor’s eyes widened, horrified. “That is…most disturbing.”

Shiro’s hands gripped into tight fists. “I don’t know what to do. The Black Lion still reacted to me, accepted me after all these years, but Father wishes to claim it for himself.”

“You were the original Black Paladin, Takashi, not Zarkon.”

“But Father – ”

“ – flew in Black, led the Paladins, yes, but even he saw how Black took to you when you were just a child. You were always Black’s paladin. Zarkon was just training Black until you grew, and he accepted that.”

Shiro’s shoulders melted in defeat. “Until the war. Until Lotor and he went to fight, and they left Keith and me with you and …” He glanced away, sad and tormented, his emotions so chaotic it hurt. “Allura doesn’t remember me, Uncle. You-You took her memories of me?”

“We believed you killed in combat, Takashi. I –” Alfor now seemed distraught, face twisted in a regretful scowl. “I did not want her waking up to mourn not only the loss of her planet but the love of her life. There is much I regret, child. I regret allowing Lotor to bond with Red. I regret not stopping you from sacrificing yourself for Altea. I regret not fighting to save the lions when Allura urged me to do so, but perhaps what I regret the most is that you and Allura must suffer for my mistakes.”

“It is not your fault, Uncle Alfor,” Shiro assured. “You trusted my father and his judgement.”

“And now I will trust yours. Will you help my daughter stop Zarkon’s reign, Takashi?”

Shiro smiled. “You do not need to ask. This is my fight as well, Uncle. The Galra are my people, and it is my job duty to free them from their tyrant.”

“Thank you, Takashi. I am relieved that you and Allura have once more found each other.” An uncertain pause drew Shiro’s eyes up to a rather uncomfortable Alfor. “May you grant an old man one last request?”

“Of course, Uncle Alfor. Anything.”

“Protection, Takashi. Make sure you are safe with Allura. War is no place to raise a child, so you must take every precaution necessary to –”

Shiro’s face immediately flushed, and he mumbled, “Yes, Uncle Alfor. Of course. Thank you for your concern.”

“Do not take this lightly, Takashi. You and Allura both grew up during wartime, so you know – ”

“Yes, and – oh. Is that Coran? I think Coran is calling me, Uncle.” Shiro hurried to his feet. “I must take my leave of you.”

“Takashi! It is horrible manners to walk out on a king. I raised you better than that, and as long as you are living in  _my_  castle – TAKASHI!”

Shiro stopped just before the door and turned to revere the king once more.

Alfor’s voice grew tender. “It truly is good to see you again. We have far too few victories in this war, and I consider your prolonged life to be perhaps the greatest. Persevere, Black Paladin.”

Tears stung in the corners of Shiro’s eyes, and he glanced away for a moment to collect himself before once more meeting Alfor’s eyes. “Thank you…my king.”

“And don’t forget. Galra react differently to many Altean foods, juniberries especially.”

“That was one time!”

So he puked all over her favorite dress. After ten thousands years, he still couldn’t live it down?

_The End_

 


	11. Yes, Sir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his first year at the garrison, Keith comes within one demerit from being expelled. Shiro won’t stand for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the new season came a new headcanon for Shiro and Keith’s garrison relationship, and one of the things I noticed is that Keith only calls Shiro “sir” while in the battle. He never does outside of Voltron, so – hence this. 
> 
> I’ll probably write up the whole headcanon later, but this is part of a larger story I probably won’t get to write. Boo.

“It’s his third disciplinary issue in the last week.” Commander Iverson’s gruff voice allowed for no complaint. “Ninth of the semester. If he gets one more, I’m going to have to expel him.”

Shiro dropped to the seat in front of the commander’s desk, his lips pressed in a firm line. “You can’t. He has nowhere else to go.”

“I know you had high hopes for him –” A hint of something – concern, exasperation, resignation – infiltrated his voice. “—but I can’t have a cadet who doesn’t follow orders.”

“Can you blame him? His father left him without even saying good-bye. He doesn’t remember his mother, and he lived for who knows how many years alone in a shack in the desert. He’s had no authoritative figure in his life, sir, and now he has a whole chain of command he’s told to follow. It’s a big adjustment.”

“You mean, attitude adjustment.” When Iverson turned to Shiro, there was nothing but sympathy in his usually stern gaze. “I know where you’re coming from. You were the one who found him and brought him here. You want him to do good, but we can’t save everyone, Shirogane, especially the ones who don’t want to be saved.”

*^*^*

“Get up, Cadet!”

Keith jerked awake and whipped toward his thrown open door so fast that he rolled right out of the bed. Wincing, he cracked open one eye and then the other to see gray and black boots that led to dark cargo pants and finally a gray top. His eyes stopped at the harsh, unrelenting glare that Shiro unleashed upon him.

“Uh, ow…” Keith groaned, slowly pushing to his knees. “Shiro, what the hell?”

“Get up and get dressed.” His voice left no room for objection.

Keith didn’t care. “Why?”

Shiro stomped across the room, easily finding Keith’s favorite sweatpants, shirt, and sneakers. “Because you’re going running with me. Now. Six laps around the base.”

“That’s six miles!”

“Glad you know how to count.”

“I’m not running six miles, Shiro!”

“That’s 'Officer Shirogane,' or ‘sir’ to you, cadet.” Shiro stepped forward, using his towering six-foot-four height to intimidate, though Keith kept his arms obstinately crossed over his chest, face rebellious. “You’re getting up at six A.M. every morning from now on, and you’re running with me. For every minute you’re late, I’m adding a mile. Then, we’re going to have breakfast, and you’re going to show me your homework. I want to see it done and ready to be turned in. Something’s not completed, I’m adding another mile the next day. And you’re going to clean this place up. If I find any dust during my weekly inspections – ”

“Let me guess,” Keith interjected, unimpressed, “you’ll add another mile?”

“No, though I could,” Shiro considered. “I was just going to make you scrub my toilet.”

Keith groaned.

“Oh, and you’re also forfeiting your freshman self-defense course and joining the one I instruct.”

“You run the seniors’ combat course!”

Shiro shoved Keith’s clothes into his arms, forcing the young teen to uncross them, and leaned forward until he spoke inches from Keith’s face. “I’m not giving up on you, Keith. We’re going to get your act together, whether you like it or not.”

Like hell. “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my dad.”

“No, I’m not,” and if Keith didn’t know any better, he could’ve swore Shiro’s face softened, and his eyes became crestfallen. But then the officer persona clicked back into place so fast, Keith guessed he imagined it. “But I’m all you got. Now get dressed and meet me downstairs in five. If you don’t, I’ll come back up here, and I won’t be so nice.”

*^*^*

Shiro’s heart stopped several times as different people exited the building in that five-minute span, and he began to believe he might have a harder time with Keith than he thought. But Keith was a good kid. He wouldn’t allow the cadet to be expelled. He _couldn’t_. 

At four minutes, fifty-one seconds, a yawning and rather hostile Keith pushed open the dorm hall’s door and growled, “We doing this or what?”

Shiro smiled warmly. “We doing this or what…?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “…sir,” he muttered with thick disdain.

But he did it, so Shiro ruffled his hair, much to Keith’s disgust, then started their run. Keith followed a step behind for him the majority of it, but Shiro had no doubt Keith would be running side by side with him soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm running a story giveaway on my Tumblr as a thank you for 400 followers! If you want a story written by me, [jump over here and take a look.](http://ptw30.tumblr.com/post/158544180364/ptw30-wow-thank-you-so-so-much-for-following) The entrance window closes today. Thanks!


	12. Space Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to “Yes, Sir.” Shiro helped Keith survive his first few months at the garrison, so Keith returns the favor during Shiro’s first months training for the Kerberos Mission and discovers some secrets about Shiro and himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally remembered why “Yes, Sir” sat on my desktop for a few months – I forgot to write the part where Keith starts calling Shiro by his first name again yet keeps the professional address for battles. Here’s that section.

Training for the Kerberos Mission absorbed much of Shiro’s time. He only taught his combat course three days a week, with Commander Chan taking over the other two. He spent any extra time in the simulator, sometimes even skipping lunches and dinners, but he always waited outside of Keith’s barrack in the morning, dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, ready for their daily six-mile run about the base. They shared breakfast, and Shiro always made the time to check Keith’s homework and answer any questions the cadet had.

But on one particular morning, Keith exited his building just before the scheduled time to find Shiro’s bottom pressed against the wall, back bent, hands on knees. He sucked in unsteady breaths, eyes narrowed, arms trembling.

“Officer Shirogane…?” Keith asked, approaching in a hesitant step. “Are you all right?”

Shiro gathered himself then, pushing off the wall to stand straight.“…fine. Just a little tired. Skipped dinner yesterday.”

Keith didn’t remember seeing him at lunch, either.

“Ready to go?”

“Are you?” Keith asked, eyeing the languid nature of Shiro’s face. “Because we can skip today if you want.”

Keith worried when there was a beat of hesitation – how tired was Shiro to even debate it? – but it passed with a warm smile and a quick hair tassel. “Don’t worry. I’m all right, kiddo. Let’s get moving.”

Shiro was always up for a good run, energetic, encouraging, relentless. He never cut corners around the base or slowed his pace to give anything less than his all.

But if they ran slower than usual, neither spoke of it. If they stopped at four miles instead of six, then Keith just counted wrong, and if Keith helped Shiro to the mess hall and grabbed him a plate (and added more carbs than usual), then perhaps Keith just forgot the fruit and bacon.

And if Keith showed up at the simulator with a knapsack the next night, then maybe he just got lost on his way back to his bunk.

He expected to be turned away from the doors with words thrown at him like “classified” and “mission sensitive.” Instead, one of the superior officers keyed in the access code and motioned toward the second story of the simulator room. "You can watch from the observation deck.”

Huh?

The training exercise reminded Keith of his own piloting classes, but more instructors than Keith had ever seen in one room occupied the bottom tier, muttering to one another or scribbling notes on datapads. They watched on a large viewer screen as Shiro piloted the spacecraft with Matt Holt in the communication officer’s seat and Commander Holt in the engineer’s dock.

The shuttle’s discussion echoed throughout the simulator deck, and Keith felt like an intruder. At this hour, many officers had shed their jackets, leaving on their dark undershirts, and they spoke casually, forgoing the titles and professional tone they used in front of the cadets.

Except the ones in the simulator, who worked with professional decorum.

“Communication established with Houston.”

“Permission to start initial decent to Kerberos, Commander.”

“Permission granted, Shiro.”

No one ever called Shiro by his earned rank – except for the cadets in his classes _and_ Keith.

“Commencing descent now.”

“Negative, Mission Crew,” Iverson cut in, standing before the entrance to the simulator. The lights inside the cockpit flashed on, and the back door swished open. “Let’s take a fifteen-minute break before we try the lift-off maneuver again. Shiro –” the commander’s voice lightened. “– you have a visitor.”

“You should be sleeping,” Shiro urged a few minutes later, sitting on the tiny ledge just outside the simulator building. “You have an early morning exam tomorrow, right? Eight-fifteen?”

Shiro looked younger like this, his space suit shed from his shoulders to his belly, the sleeves tied about his waist. He wore the same undershirt as the rest of the officers, and his smile was natural now albeit tired.

“I’ve got it covered.” Keith pulled a brown-bag from his knapsack and handed it to Shiro. “You skipped dinner again, and it was mac and cheese night.”

Shiro’s eyes widened; his face lit up as he pulled out the thermos and spoon. “Keith, you didn’t have – _hmmm_.”

“You can’t go skipping meals,” Keith admonished, leaning forward on his hands. “You have to keep your strength up.”

“It’s just a couple more weeks,” Shiro assured between ravenous bites. “As soon as I get these maneuvers correct – ”

“But you don’t have to push so hard. You’re the best pilot in the garrison, so eventually, you’ll – ”

Shiro laughed. “Thank you, Keith, but training is essential, especially after graduation. That’s when you use all those foundations you learned as a cadet and apply them to real-life situations, like this mission.” He swallowed another bite and accepted a bottle of water from Keith. “It’s my job to get Commander Holt and Matt to Kerberos and back in one piece.”

“And what about yourself? You need to take care of yourself.”

“Tell you what.” Shiro offered Keith a bite. “I’ll come to dinner every night from now to lift-off if you promise not to get into trouble while I’m up there.”

Keith rolled his eyes.

“Promise me, Keith,” Shiro demanded. “I can’t have you getting into fights and talking back to your instructors.”  

Keith sighed. “…yes, sir.”

Shiro swallowed and clasped Keith on the shoulder. “Y'know, when we’re not in class or in an official meeting, you can call me Shiro, Keith. It’s okay.”

“B-But you said I should call you – ”

"Because I wanted you to get used to titles and trusting your instructors. You were one disciplinary action away from being expelled, so…I gave you some tough love. Because I wanted you to succeed. You are so talented, kiddo. I want you to achieve all your dreams, whatever they – ”

“Shiro?”

As Shiro glanced back, Keith looked beyond him to see one of the younger instructors standing at the building’s entrance.

“Iverson’s ready to start again.”

“I’ll be right there.” Shiro swung back to Keith, offering him an apologetic smile and the thermos. “See you tomorrow morning?”

“Will you even be awake?”

Shiro attacked then, ruffling Keith’s hair. “Bring any questions about your exam, okay? And leave the sass in your bunk. I get enough of it from Matt as it is.”

As Shiro jumped off the ledge and headed back into the building, Keith called back, “Shiro!”

Shiro stopped and turned back. 

“I want to go into space…” _with you_.

That was his dream.

Shiro smiled, tender and kind. “Next mission,” he promised.

_The End_


	13. Sixth Sense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post VLD Season 2 Finale - Lance refuses to believe Shiro is gone. Now, if only the team believed him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few gen fics I need to post here from Tumblr, so I hope to do so over the next few days. On a side note - OMG! Season 3 is coming in less than two months. WHOOOO!

Allura’s fingers clenched the back of Shiro’s chair. Tears slipped down Pidge’s flushed face. Hunk cringed, fighting not to let his fear and desperation show, and Keith – Keith was an utter wreck. Hands trembling, eyes glistening, teeth clenched – he was on the verge of a breakdown.

And Lance – he hurt in ways he hadn’t known were possible, but he blinked back the tears, sucked in a deep breath, and spoke before he even knew what he was saying.

“Shiro’s not dead.”

It came out more as a question than a statement, but when Pidge looked up at him, fear arresting her expresion, he firmed his back and his voice.

“He’s not dead, guys. We all share a metaphysical bond, right? Lions and quintessence and thoughts and feelings. If Shiro was dead, we’d – we’d know, right? There’d be a part of me missing, but I-I can _feel_ him. Here.” He clutched his hand over his chest, briefly closing his eyes and feeling the warmth that came through the bond shared by his brothers- and sister-in-arms.

Soothing and firm and ever present was Shiro.

…right?

“He’s not dead,” Lance said again, pleading with Keith, who stood wide-eyed and gaping. “You can feel it, too, right? _Right?_ You can feel _him_.”

He needed someone to believe him, to tell him that he wasn’t crazy, that he wasn’t gripping onto a lost cause, and Shiro – Shiro wasn’t really –

 _No_. Shiro couldn’t be gone, but why wasn’t Pidge saying anything? Why were tears still flowing from Hunk’s eyes? Why did Allura’s fingers dig deeper into the chair’s cushion, and why was Keith…smiling?

It was small and frightened, but there nonetheless.

“Shiro’s not dead,” Keith agreed in a raw admission.

Relief swelled in Lance’s very being, and he pounced, clutching Keith in a sudden, bone-crushing hug. With a terrible shriek, Pidge slammed into Lance’s back while Hunk engulfed them from behind Keith. He brought Allura with him, wrapping an arm about her shoulders and dragging her into their fierce huddle. 

They laughed and cried and reveled in the sheer warmth of their celebrated bond.

Shiro was alive.

“So what’s the plan, fearless leader?” Lance eventually whispered to Keith.

After a moment of shock and hesitation, Keith bit out, “We move to the common room, sleep for the night, and then awaken refreshed and ready to go.”

“To get our family member.”

Keith hesitated again. The notion of family frightened Keith, Lance could tell. Keith had lost everyone he ever loved, so if he accepted the paladins such, he would eventually lose them, too, just like he lost Shiro.

But he hadn’t lost Shiro, not yet.

Lance would do everything in his power to save their missing family member; they all would.

After showers and medical check-ups and more tears – this time for the Blades – the paladins retired to the couch in the common room, and Lance made sure to put Keith right in the middle of their pile.

Coran and Allura, Pidge and Hunk, and even Kolivan fell asleep, and it was then Keith shattered the silence of the troubled night.

“Thanks, Lance.”

Lance smiled, though he doubted Keith could see it in the darkness, so he threaded his fingers with Keith’s trembling ones. “Get some sleep, will you? Today we saved the universe. Tomorrow, we’re going to save our family.”

Keith settled next to Lance, squeezing his hand in return. It took a long time, but his shaking eventually stopped.

As Lance skirted on the edge of sleep, he reached out once more, touching upon the quintessence of each paladin just to ease his wounded heart, and though he might have imagined it, he could have sworn he felt the cool press of lips upon his forehead and the high-pitched squeal of cybernetic gears.

_The End_


	14. Paladins Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from [thepheonixqueen](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/thepheonixqueen):  
> Some of the paladins ending up in an alien zoo (as in on display as an exhibit) Bonus: they are there because the Holts are on display there already.

Like most outings, it was Coran’s idea.

The Paladins of New fought a creature known as a “Sydenx,” and instinctively, Shiro knew how to beat it, apparently having fought one of its kind in the arena. He ordered Lance and Blue to fire their ice blaster directly into the monster’s stomach, but before the fight ended, Red had been severely damaged and Yellow limped away barely functional.

The beast was actually one of the basic lifeforms Altean children learned about in school, so after grumbling about the Earthlings’ lack of education, Coran suggested the paladins go on a field trip to a Galra zoos.

Shiro stayed behind to wash the mice with Allura, so Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge headed out to the nearest “cosmos sanctuary.” They downloaded the map onto Pidge’s handheld, and after meandering about the exhibits – Hunk collecting every and all alien foods to try, Lance making side comments about the animals, Pidge reading over every bit of information on the exhibit panels, and Keith just sighing – Lance pointed to a certain enclosure on the map.

“Does that say what I think it says?”

Keith glanced over Pidge’s head to read, “Homo…sapiens…? Classification: Earthlings?”

Hunk’s food hit the ground with a splat. “They’ve – They’ve got humans here?”

“We’ve got to see this!” Pidge shouted. “I wonder what they say about us!”

But all her scientific excitement fizzled with one look inside the cage, where the Holts, Sam and Matt, were confined like animals.

The father and son looked well taken care of, in Keith’s opinion, with white and black jumpsuits, akin to prisoners back home, with flat shoes and groomed hair. Sam’s glasses had been upgraded to a hovering screen, looking very much like those screens Allura made on the castle’s bridge.

Plus the Holts’ cage – _they were in cage!_ – was spacious and comfortable for humans. A panel above the enclosure created artificial sunlight, which beamed down upon a small patch of grass, and an inside hut provided shade and some privacy, perhaps even a bathroom.

But Matt huddled in the corner of his cell with his knees to his chest, forehead lowered to hide his face, though Sam endured the public scrutiny. He wrapped an arm about Matt’s shoulders and held him close, every so often glancing up at the crowd that gathered before their cage.

Pidge broke.

Tears immediately soaked her face, and when Lance reached out to her, she avoided his touch. She ignored all their cries to duck under the railing, slam her fists and body against the clear wall of the enclosure, and sob.

Sam and Matt both jerked instantly, startled by the thunderous pounds upon their cage, and then they cried out, too. Matt was up in a shot, racing across the enclosure to slam against the opposite side of the glass, trying with all his might to breakthrough. It was soul-wrenching to watch, especially as his hope was stripped away fist after fist, and then he collapsed to the ground, unable to do anything but huddle next to his hiccupping sister. The wall – though it might have been a world – kept them apart.

The Holts didn’t know how Pidge was there. They didn’t know she was safe, with Shiro and the paladins. They didn’t know she had been working so hard to find them, only to do so and not be able to save them.

Blood streaked the glass from Matt’s torn knuckles, and then Sam was there, pulling his son against him before placing a single hand upon the glass. Pidge followed suit, laughing for a moment through her tears, before she once more broke down.

Keith’s heart throbbed. They couldn’t get the Holts out, not yet. Not when security started to move in, both inside the cell and out. They needed to collect Pidge, head back to castle, and formulate a plan. Then they’d return. Shiro wouldn’t let them stay captured a second longer than needed; Keith held no doubts.

“Hunk, create a distraction. Lance, we need your coat.”

Hunk did as he was told, stealing a kid’s food goo cone and then throwing it down for the security guard to slip on. (He would lament that later.) As Hunk continued to cause chaos, inciting riots and other disruptive activities, Lance dropped to his knees near Pidge, placing his coat over her shoulders while Keith tugged the hood over her head.

“We have to go, Katie,” Keith whispered, book-ending her with Lance.

“No!” She clawed at his jacket, eyes frantic and bloodshot and frightened. “We have to get them out! They can’t – they’re not animals! They’re not – ”

The guards already begun to grip Sam and Matt and pull them away from the glass, but Lance positioned himself perfectly, preventing Pidge from seeing the horrific sight.

“Keith,” she whispered in a gutted plea. “ _Please_ , Keith. We have to – ”

“And we will.” He gripped her tightly, staring deep into those trembling eyes with unrelenting conviction. “I promise. We’ll come back for them.”

Once Pidge glanced about Lance to see the enclosure empty, she all but collapsed, exhausted and partially comatose. With Keith’s help, Lance managed to heave her onto his back. As they exited the exhibit, Keith noticed a sign hanging over a machine filled with small, brown items. They looked suspiciously like peanuts.

“Hey. Give me all your money.”

“What! Why?”

“ _Just do it_.”

Lance relented without another word, and Keith fed every GAC they had into the machine. He twisted the gear and kept twisting it until the machine was empty. Then he walked away, bristling past the words that read, “Feed the Homo Sapiens.” 


	15. We Freed a Zoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from [thepheonixqueen](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/thepheonixqueen):  
> "Can I request a sequel to the zoo fic? With the Holts getting rescued?" Why, yes. Yes, you can!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I focused on Keith, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance in the previous story, I figured I’d give Shiro the spotlight here (not unlike any of my other stories). *whistles and walks away*

As soon as the paladins told Shiro what they found at the zoo, he immediately launched into devising a plan to free the Holts. Allura and Coran helped with a fool-proof extraction, but they all agreed on one imperative factor instantly.

They wouldn’t just free the Holts. They’d free every lifeform in the Galra Zoo.

Pidge became razor-edge focused, coming onto the bridge with her computers and tactics, ready to help in any way. The Primary Colors gathered behind her, armor on and bayards ready for the assault.

They went the next nightfall.

Shiro took point on the mission. Keith admonished him for it – _You’re emotionally compromised. You’re just as frantic as Pidge, but you hide it better_ – and though Keith was right, Shiro played it off as just mission preparation and readied for the attack.

Lance took care of the guards while Hunk, Keith, Pidge, and Shiro went from cage to cage to free the captives. After Pidge and Hunk disconnected the alarms, Shiro and Keith sliced through the locks. Allura and Coran helped the exhibit’s occupants back to the castle’s pod for treatment and comfort. Thankfully, the zoo curated “perfect specimens,” which meant keeping their captives healthy, and the extraction went off without a hitch.

Until they hit the Holts’ enclosure.

Keith and Hunk went off toward a different section of the zoo to finish freeing the captives, while Shiro and Pidge went for the Holts. The lock appeared to be disengaged with parts ripped out of the internal hardware, but Pidge dismissed it, despite Shiro’s protest. They charged inside. Instead of finding the Holts, a large Galra commander with extended, glowing claws and a haughty demeanor stood in their place. His braying laugh grated on Shiro’s nerves.

Pidge drew her bayard, but the sharp tone of her voice could have drawn blood. “Where’s my family?”

The Galra snorted. “Why do you think we put these rather pedestrian lifeforms on display? We knew it would draw you out… _Champion_.”

The door to the cell slammed shut behind them, locking Pidge and Shiro with the commander, and Shiro instantly lifted his arms in a fighter’s stance. Of course this was a trap. Why didn’t he see it? Why didn’t he question why the Holts would be on display? Keith was right. He’d allowed his emotions to overwhelm him, and now he and Pidge were forced to fight their way out.

With a reverberating roar, the commander rushed toward Pidge and him, claws slashing like sharp whips. Shiro activated his arm and managed to combat the first wave of attacks while Pidge parried the claws with her bayard. With his heart in his throat, Shiro fought swipe for swipe with Pidge, keeping the commander at bay. But then something caught Pidge’s eyes, stealing her attention, and the claws sliced up her body, sending the stench of charred skin straight to Shiro’s nose.

“Pidge!” he screamed and lunged for the commander, no longer content to subdue. He would end this.

With his arm, Shiro cut off the first claw, then the second, right where the ports met the commander’s hand, and though the Galra screamed, Shiro refused to yield. Slice after slice, Shiro began to overwhelm the commander, but then something happened – both the claws and Shiro’s hand deactivated at the same time.

Unfortunately, the commander recovered faster, most of his claws already freed from his body, thanks to Shiro’s ruthless attacks. Where the dead weight of Shiro’s arm dragged him down, the commander moved more nimbly, glove latching onto Shiro’s throat. Black spots exploded in Shiro’s vision; his lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. His one human hand gripped onto the commander’s, but it would never be strong enough to free him.

The commander snarled, “Hm. Once I return you to the Witch Haggar, I wonder if Emperor Zarkon will make me commander of your planet’s sector. I would find great joy in seeing how your people measure up to your spirit.”

Shiro growled and struggled, but to no avail. As the edge of his sight began to darken and the world faded, a deep-seeded dread settled in his gut. If he once more became Haggar’s weapon, would she use him against the Paladins? Against their allies?

A loud BAM! resounded in the small enclosure, and as the commander staggered away, Shiro sucked in deep, burning breaths. But he _could_ breathe, which was a miracle in and of itself. Body trembling with ragged hacks, Shiro flinched as a pair of hands gripped his shoulders, but they persisted. He raised his head and almost passed out at the sudden relief that crashed into him.

“… _Commander Holt?_ ” he rasped.

Sam smiled, a tender expression that cut right to Shiro’s quick. Those aged eyes glanced under Shiro’s chin at his newly formed bruises and softened even more so. “Are you all right, son?”

“Sorry about the pulse, Shiro,” a different voice called, and Shiro’s heart stopped pumping. Matt Holt knelt a few feet away, gathering an unconscious Pidge into his arms. “I could only make one from the lock’s mechanisms, and it affects all Galra tech.”

Like his arm.

“ _Had to be done_ ,” Shiro spat. It hurt to talk. “ _Let’s head home_.”

“Home?” Sam echoed, lifting Shiro’s heavy arm about his neck. “You can get us to Earth?”

Shiro smiled. “ _Not exactly_.”

Matt would eventually take over as chief mechanic of the castle ship. Sam would offer expert advice to Shiro and Allura on tactical strategies, and Pidge would sob the moment she exited the cryopod, wrapping an arm about Matt’s and Sam’s neck and celebrating the reclamation of her family.

But at that moment, Shiro tugged Sam close with his one good hand, startling his former commander. Sam quickly recovered, cradling Shiro in his embrace. As they passed Matt, Shiro ruffled his hair and pulled him close as well.

And though it wasn’t Earth, they went home.


	16. Grounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set after "Blackout," Pidge helps Keith deal with the loss of his older brother. (I needed to write a Keith and Pidge - B/SOTP.)

Pidge caught Keith staring at Shiro’s chair on the bridge again. He did that often, when he thought the others were asleep or out. He just stood there, directly behind the Black Paladin’s console, his shoulders pressed down by some invisible force, head ducked in heartbreak.

He grieved for the other half of his soul. Pidge could relate.

She wasn’t sure how to help, how to ease a suffering that might never be ceased, but when she stepped up, the words just flowed from her mouth.

“You know when we find Matt, he’s _so_ grounded.”

Keith flinched – he hadn’t noticed her prior – but other than glancing over his shoulder, he said nothing.

“Sure, I’ll hug him within an inch of his life, cry a lot, too. Totally. But then he’s so not getting those freeze-dried pees he and Dad love. And getting to play with Altean tech? Nope. Not happening. He’s going straight to his guestroom. I don’t care that he was in a Galra prison. He’s got to learn from his mistakes. He can’t run away from home and expect there to be no consequences. Oh, and if he thinks he’s ever getting anywhere near my lion – or pilot it? He’s got another thing coming.”

It was a terrible joke. Pidge knew her brother was alive and away from the Galra, but was he safe? Were the people who saved his life _good_ , or would they cause her brother even more harm? Worrying about it, only made her more anxious, so she tried not to. Shiro always helped to lead her thoughts elsewhere, and though Lance and Hunk tried to fill his place, it wasn’t the same. Shiro had known Matt. If he said Matt was a survivor and was out there fighting, then it was so.

Keith had known Matt, too, but they hadn’t been close. As far as Pidge knew, they barely spoke greetings, and Keith wasn’t Shiro. He was more closed-off, tight-lipped, quick to snap and quicker to swipe, and now he was solemn and reserved, not just quiet. He was wounded and raw, and it hurt to watch as he tried his best and chastised himself that it wasn’t good enough. It wouldn’t be good enough, not until he found Shiro.

Pidge didn’t know how to tell him it was okay – because it wasn’t – but Shiro always knew what to say to them. He always knew how to soothe their fears, and without him, how could their fledging family hope to survive?

“No garrison mac and cheese,” Keith muttered, his voice hoarse and grating. “Shiro’s only going to be allowed that powder stuff for the first two weeks. And – and he can go to the cherry blossom festival for only one day, not the full two weeks.”

The tears blurred Pidge’s sight and warmed her cheeks. She pounced, pressing her face against the curve of his back and wrapping her arms about his waist. He started, shocked and wary, but eventually surrendered to the hold, laying a gloved hand upon her knotted ones.

“Lance will spike his shampoo with purple dye, and – and Allura will order the mice to follow him around all the time. If the Galra haven’t put a tracking device in his arm, I’ll have Hunk do it. And Shiro can listen to a full day’s worth of Coran’s boring stories from the Altean forces…”

As Keith spoke, his voice wavered. Warm droplets fell upon Pidge’s skin, and Keith’s hands tightened upon hers and trembled. Pidge just listened to him rattle off the list until he no longer could and then held on until he no longer cried.

They spent the rest of the night huddled in Shiro’s chair, waiting and hoping for their brothers to come home.

_The End_


	17. One Day, Son...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working through the 653 Followers Giveaway ficlets (I have about 20 left). I'll make a masterpost of all the ficlets as well as post the corresponding ones here as I write them. In this "story," I'll only post the fics that are rated teen or younger. 
> 
> If you want to read the ones I've written and posted now, you can find them [here.](https://ptw30.tumblr.com/tagged/653-followers-giveaway) NSFW posts are marked as such with mature material under the cuts. Thanks!

**[rangergirl3](https://rangergirl3.tumblr.com/)**  asked: Oooooh please hurt Keith and protective team! :D I absolutely love gen stuff - and I'm so happy you're taking prompts! :D <3

* * *

The desert shack barely fit Keith and his dad, but there never needed to be more space. Keith had no other family, and when he asked his dad about it, sitting upon the shack’s roof and gazing up at the stars, his father always said the same thing.

“One day, son, when you need them the most, there’ll be people there for you. I know it.”

But no one came when his father died, and he’d been thrown to a foster family. He grew up alone and isolated, moving from house to house but never finding a home. The garrison, too, proved to be just another roof under which to lay his head, though he always looked to the stars and the heavens, like his father had.

Keith wanted to become a pilot, to go where his father had always wanted to, but when he failed his first simulation and feared being shipped to yet another foster family –

“Hey. Saw your sims. Mind if I give you a few pointers?”

–  Shiro was there.

“Hey, it’s only for a few months,” Shiro promised on the eve of the Kerberos lift-off. “I’ll be back, buddy. I promise.”

It took fifteen months, but Shiro kept his promise. Yet Keith wouldn’t have been able to save Shiro by himself.

_One day, son, when you need them the most, there’ll be people there for you. I know it._

“We do make a great team.”

“I’m staying with you guys. Let’s stop Zarkon for all our families.”

“Aw, thanks, Galra Keith. You’re all right.”

_”Keith!”_

…Shiro? But he sounded too far away, like he yelled for Keith underwater, and when Keith blinked, even the dull lights of the battlecruiser’s hallways blinded him. Panic seized him. Even as he reached for the wall, desperately trying to find some purchase, Keith struggled to think past the thick pounding of blood in his ear.

Something was wrong, and before he could process what - had there been an explosion? - bile surged up his throat and rushed to the floor.

Trembling hands clung to his jumpsuit, just below his arm. The words came muffled and unhinged.

“Keith! Keith! Can you hear me?”

_Lance?_

“Something’s wrong with him.  _Guys!_  We have to get Keith back to the ship!”

Desperation seized Lance’s voice, and Keith’s addled mind stretched to remember a time when Lance was ever scared.

Larger, strong hands took him by the waist and lifted his feet underneath him. “He can’t walk by himself,” Hunk interjected.  

“I’ve got him,” and suddenly, he was up-ended, a hand wrapping about his back, an arm under his knees. Someone tucked his head against a strong shoulder, a familiar scent of desert willow and earth surrounding him.

_Shiro_.  

“We’ve got to move now. Lance, Pidge, clear the way. Hunk, bring up the rear.

“You got it!”

“On it.”

“We’ve got this!”

“Hold on, Keith,” Shiro murmured, strain in his voice as the blasts of a firefight echoed in the background. “We’re almost to the hanger and Blue. She’ll get you to a cryopod in no time.”

Keith fought to raise his head, to respond to the obvious concern worrying Shiro’s voice. He was all right. He’d hang in as long as Shiro needed him to – but then a loud explosion rocked his very core.

_One day, son, when you need them the most, there’ll be people there for you. I know it._

When he came to, a high-pitched squeal buzzed in his ear. His entire body ached in a way it never had before, including following the fight with Zarkon, and as he blinked, the cool lights of the Blue Lion’s cockpit soothed his pulsating headache.

Pidge and Hunk immediately entered his vision, both looking worse for wear but alive. Hunk had lost his helmet along the way, but Pidge wore hers, the visor illuminated with vital scans and read-outs. Shiro’s strong lap cradled his head, his human fingers carding through Keith’s hair.

“Don’t worry, Keith,” Hunk eased, seizing his hand and squeezing. “We’ve got you.”

A ghost of a smile tugged on Keith’s lips. “I know.”


	18. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another [653 Followers Giveaway](https://ptw30.tumblr.com/tagged/653-followers-giveaway) Story -

**Anonymous**  asked:

Could I request for the prompts one of the paladins being not-too-seriously hurt (and for some reason they can't use the healing pods or maybe they're on a planet waiting for the castle to pick them up) and being the absolute worst patient ever, like won't sit still and just heal... would love if their lion stepped in and enforced bed rest somehow too! (And love your prompt-fills! Congrats on the milestone!!)

* * *

“I’m just saying – if we would’ve taken Blue, we’d already be back at the castle.”

“Bringing Blue has nothing to do with it,” Keith huffed and cut down a branch blocking their path. “We can’t connect to the castle, so you’d still have to suck it up.”

“Oh, come on, Mullet!” Lance leaned heavily upon Hunk and Pidge as they trudged their way through the blue-flowered and red-leaved rainforest. “You know Blue would be here in two seconds if she could sense I’m hurt.”

“I think the lions only do that when it’s more ‘imminent danger’ than ‘sprained ankle,’” Pidge grumbled.

“Hey! I’ll have you know it feels like my leg is going to fall off.”

Hunk patted his shoulder – and almost sent Lance sprawling into the mud, though he barely noticed as he gazed at the unique fauna and flora. “Hey. Is that – doesn’t like that look like a tamale? And that a crème puff? Ooh! That’s totally a Boston cream doughnut!”

Pidge sighed and grunted when Lance rested his elbow upon her head. “How much longer until we get back to Red?”

“ – French toast? Ooh, I miss French toast. Lance, you remember that one place we used to get it – ”

A sigh from Keith; another branch sliced down. “Too long. If we’re even going in the right – ”

“ – oh! Crepes, too! I love – ”

“ – we are, but we should have brought Green.”

“ – chocolate blintz! And croissants! Who doesn’t love – ”

“We wouldn’t be able to find her with the invisibility – ”

“Says the guy whose lion matches the surroundings – and croissants aren’t as good as pancakes, Hunk.”

“Pancakes!  _Pancakes!_  Anyone can make pancakes, Pidge.”

“Bacon.”

Pidge and Hunk glowered at Keith, who shrugged in return. “I don’t care what you say. You can’t have breakfast without bacon.”

“And you’re best friends with ‘my-body-is-a-temple’?” Pidge scoffed.

“You’ve never seen Shiro on mac and –”

“Guys!”

When everyone spun to Lance, Keith did so too fast and ended up tripping over a vine. Lance ignored him to lift up his black-socked foot, which Hunk had bandaged with a makeshift splint. “I’m injured here. Can we please focus on the issue at hand?”

Keith, Hunk, and Pidge shared a concerned glance.

“Getting you back to the ship?” Keith offered.

“What’s the best breakfast food?” Hunk added.

Pidge shrugged. “Which lion we should have taken?”

“No!” Lance bellowed and let out an exasperated sigh. “Why hasn’t Blue come yet! Does she not know I’m injured? Why doesn’t she love – ”

A resounding growl cut through the landscape, and a loud crash brought down several trees about the team. When the dust and dirt and dew cleared, Red stood before them, head lowering instantly.

Lance’s eyes watered. “Red! I didn’t know you cared.”

Hunk glanced at Keith, who mouthed,  _I stubbed my toe_.

~~Blue was actually circling the planet’s atmosphere, and Green and Yellow wouldn’t let her pass because the environment would have damaged her systems. Once Red was clear from the planet, Blue cut her off and forced her to release Lance into her custody~~


	19. Cloak and Bayard Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS FOR S3E1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:**[@kingkoganes](https://tmblr.co/mS4zcCRw_eRfgvpXF1bPQwg) posted earlier this week about how/if the team knew Shiro left the Black Lion and leadership to Keith. In S3E1, everyone seemed to know Shiro made Keith his second-in-command, so King got me thinking - how did the team know about Shiro and Keith’s private conversations?
> 
> So here we go! (Thanks for the musing, King!)
> 
> Takes place sometime between S2E11 “Stayin’ Alive” and S2E12 “The Best Laid Plans.”

“So…yeah, thanks for the invite, Shiro, but why am I here?”

They were gathered in the observation deck at the top of the ship, where Shiro usually spent time when not with the team. He made notes on constellations, learned the Altean language, and mapped out battle strategies - all from this deck. But it was always open for the paladins - no matter what, Shiro wanted the team to come to him in their time of need. 

So it warmed Lance to be welcomed to the deck to help Shiro for a change, but why would Shiro want him for a cloak and bayard meeting with Allura and Coran? Wouldn’t Shiro invite Keith?

Shiro ignored his question, instead slotting his fingers together between his parted knees, head dipped below his shoulders.

“We need to discuss the klanmurel in the room.”

Allura tapped her nails upon her knees. “Yes, well, while I feel that a Galra Paladin is not…conducive to our mission, it is far too late in our plans to -”

Shiro cut her off, “I’ve already informed Keith that if anything were to happen to me, I would want him to lead Voltron.”

Lance reeled. How the quiznak did he get invited to this meeting?

Allura immediately straightened, eyes growing dark. “What!”

“I understand your disdain for all things Galra, but I’ve known Keith for a long time. He’s like my little brother. I trust him implicitly, and nothing you can say will change that.”

Lance’s mind went blank as Shiro’s words injected a heavy dose of shock into his gut. Hurt crept up a few moments later, though he quickly batted that away. Keith lived attached to Shiro’s hip, hero-worship and true affection blending with a protective instinct to create a strong, everlasting bond. Lance had only begun to forge such unyielding connections with the duo, so it made sense that Shiro would pick Keith to lead the team. 

Plus, Keith never quit in battle, and if he could ever cool his jets, nothing would be able to stop him. He was the perfect choice to succeed Shiro.

But something overwhelmed Lance almost a second later. 

Absolutely, unfathomable horror. 

Allura huffed, “I know you are fond of Keith, but I urge you to reconsider. In the event that are you are no longer able to fly the Black Lion - ”

“Keith’s Galra heritage has nothing to do with his ability to - ”

How could they even discuss this so calmly? And how could they ignore the most important point? The words flew from his mouth quicker than Lance could stop them.

“What the hell, Shiro? Nothing is going to happen to you!”

Allura looked startled. Coran appeared sympathetic, but Shiro reached out to pat Lance’s knee in what he probably thought to be a soothing gesture. 

“Lance, thank you. I’m touched by your concern, but now isn’t the time to ignore the obvious.”

“What’s obvious? You’re our best fighter! You were the Champion!” A fierce panic seized Lance’s entire being at the simple thought of something happening to Shiro. “You’re - You’re our leader.”

“And as leader,” Coran interjected, somberness reigning in his voice, “it is customary for one to choose a second-in-command in the unfortunate event of - ”

“He’s not going anywhere, Coran!”

Shiro came to kneel before Lance, a hand upon each shoulder in a warm embrace. “I am the pilot of the Black Lion. Zarkon’s lion.”

“ _Your_ lion.”

Shiro’s tender, gracious smile broke Lance’s heart. “Thank you, Lance. You have no idea how much your confidence means to me, but - ” And Lance was left breathless by the sudden collapse of the usual reserved leader. Before him knelt not the infallible Black Paladin, but Shiro, their concerned and very human big brother. 

“ - but Zarkon is gunning for me. And this plan we’ve worked out with the Blade of Marmora puts me right in Zarkon’s path. If anything goes wrong, I need to know you all will be all right.”

Why was Shiro telling him this? “And if something happens, what? You expect Keith to just take over as Black?”

Shiro nodded. “And help finish what we started.”

Rage tightened Lance’s fists on his knees. “Seriously? You’re that cruel? You’ll make him do what you couldn’t.”

The pride in Shiro’s eyes was limitless. “He is so strong, Lance. You all are. You have no idea all of you can accomplish. I’m in awe daily of your talents and perseverance. I have no doubts that with the right push, you can go on in the event of - ”

“Stop,” Lance pleaded, “why are you telling me this? Why not Keith?”

Shiro faltered again. His hands shook on Lance’s shoulders. “In the Blade of Marmora headquarters, Keith went through…trials. He had to face his greatest fear.” This was private, between Keith and Shiro. Shiro shouldn’t be telling him this. Why was he telling Lance this? But he did, voice gutted with emotion. “It’s losing me, Lance. He’s afraid of losing me.”

Shit. 

“I’ve already spoken to him about this, but I can’t - I can’t do that to him again.”

“So why are you telling me?”

Shiro’s glistened softened. “Keith may become the decisive head of Voltron, but you are its heart, Lance. You always support us and guide us, and encourage us in ways I can’t even begin to describe.”

Wait. What? “Are we talking about the same person?”

Shiro laughed, though it was humorless and sad. “If something happens to me, Keith will be a capable strategist, but he will be reckless. He’ll need someone to ground him, someone to match his fierce nature with undying empathy. That’s you, Lance.”

Him? 

“You and Keith compliment each other so well. I have no doubt that with Keith’s unyielding drive and your endless heart, Voltron will be unstoppable.”

Lance gripped Shiro’s forearms, tears wetting his heated cheeks. “We’re unstoppable because we have you.”

Shiro closed his eyes and pressed his face against Lance’s shoulder. “Promise me you’ll look after them, Lance. Please.”

Lance couldn’t give Shiro an easy out. He couldn’t. “Be here to protect us yourself.”

Shiro’s fingers tightened in Lance’s shirt. “Lance, _please…_ “

 _Ancients,_ Shiro begged him. 

Lance never could deny any of his family anything they wished, especially solace. And Shiro was always so strong for them. He’d be strong for Shiro. 

“I promise.”


	20. Short Fuse and Ryou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Ryou Shirogane will be introduced in Voltron: Legendary Defender - this is how I envision it. Purely a self-indulgent fic with angst and fluff. Thank you for humoring me. 

The Castle of Lions picked up the lone spaceman outside of a Galra ship, right after Voltron finished off a majority of the fleet. They met him in the airlock, and as Lance muttered, “Shiro?” Keith’s eyes rounded and trembled.

The newcomer looked exactly like Shiro, minus the white bangs and scar, but Keith could always tell the difference between the twins, even before the Kerberos mission.

“Ryou?” Keith called.

Ryou’s surveying gaze ran across Lance, Pidge, and Hunk, stopped at Allura and Coran, before finding Keith.

“Keith?” he murmured and crossed the small distance in a matter of moments, sweeping the younger man into his arms. “Keith! I can’t believe it. You’re alive… _you’re alive_ …”

Keith tensed in the sudden hold but surrendered quickly to the warm, familiar embrace. Ryou was here, alive, and had actually made it all the way out to this system – however far it was from Earth. 

Keith’s eyes slid shut, and he pressed his face into Ryou’s shoulder. Ancients, Ryou was  _here_.    

Strong hands released him and snatched his cheeks in a painfully tight grip. Ryou jerked Keith’s head about, scrutinizing every inch of his face. “Are you okay, Keith? What happened to you? You disappeared from – ”

“I’m – I’m fine, but Shiro – Takashi, he – ”

Ryou’s hands stilled, forcing Keith to look directly into his eyes. “ _Keith_. Are. You. Okay.”

That wasn’t important. “Yeah, I’m fine, but Takashi – ”

“We’ll get to Takashi, but you—you disappeared, Keith!” Ryou refused to release him. “Iverson said you’d been expelled, and then we could find you! Mom and Dad came to the base – ”

Keith attempted to pull his head from Ryou’s hold, but like Shiro, he towered over Keith and had the muscle to match. “Ryou, Takashi is missing again. He – He came back to Earth, and I brought him to my dad’s old place but we – ”

“You were still on Earth?” Ryou’s hands dropped to Keith’s shoulders and dragged him back and forth. “Keith, why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you contact me? You shouldn’t have been out there all alone!”

“…why?” Keith blinked, stomach plummeting. “Ryou, you’re not – your and Shiro’s parents – they’re not my –”

“Keith, what the hell?” Ryou growled. “How can you not – Keith, you came home with Takashi every break. You have your own room at the house. Damnit, Keith! Mom and Dad didn’t just come to the garrison to find out about Takashi. They came to get you, too! They were working with child services after you were expelled to bring you home. To Yokohama. Keith, Mom and Dad didn’t just lose one son to the Kerberos mission.” Keith froze at the tears in Ryou’s eyes. “They lost you, too.”

Warmth and relief and absolute remorse spread through Keith. All this time, he’d talked about finding his family in space – when reality, he’d left one back home.

“Ryou…I’m sorry. I didn’t – ”

He swept Keith into a strong embrace again and then pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Keith’s head. “I’m glad you’re okay, Short Fuse.”

Ryou wasn’t like Shiro, other than his appearance and affection. _Right_. Keith had forgotten just what an ass Ryou was, but he couldn’t find the will or want to pull away.  

A few moments passed, the two just clinging to one another for comfort and affirmation, before Ryou released him for a single moment – only to drag Keith into a headlock.

“Ryou!”

Ancients, was Ryou an ass.

While Keith struggled, Ryou appeared not even winded, glancing up at the team. “Hi, everyone. I’m Ryou, Takashi’s younger brother by a whole sixteen minutes. And Pointy Ears, damn. You’re hot.”

Coran tugged on his collar. “Why, thank you!”

Keith gave up eventually, hanging in Ryou’s hold. “Hey, Ryou. Do Mom and Dad know where you are…?”

Ryou tightened the headlock. “They have toilets on this ship, right? Right? Don’t make me reintroduce that hair to one, Short Fuse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually off on August 4th, so if you want to gush with me about VLD Season 3, you can find me on [Tumblr.](https://ptw30.tumblr.com/) I will be posting throughout the day, so spoilers will abound.


	21. Basic Maneuvers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk said in S3E1 that Shiro taught him everything he knows about being a pilot. Hence, this. (Plus, y’know, feels.)

They had been outside the castle two hours before Hunk even noticed the time. “Whoa! It’s eleven already? We’ve been at this all morning.”

"Hm. Hadn’t noticed.” Shiro focused on Yellow’s scanners.  "Hit the thrusters on your starboard to send Yellow into a barrel roll.“

Hunk listened, though muttered through the smooth motion, “Shiro, you’ve got to have better things to do on the fifth quintant of the spicolian movement than teach me new maneuvers.”

"Teaching you how to better connect with your lion is essential to our mission,” Shiro replied, placing a warm hand upon Hunk’s shoulder. “Besides, this is fun.”

“Fun? Seriously?” Hunk challenged. “You’re practically going through what must have been year three flight school for you.”

“And it’s a kick to my ego that you’ll doing so well,” Shiro laughed, and Hunk tore his eyes away from his view screen to see Shiro leaning back against Yellow’s console. His arms might have been crossed, but he seemed at ease, one leg hitched up, a genuine smile upon his face. “Why don’t you practice those back thruster flips again?”

“Sure, I can do that, but Shiro – you can’t want to watch me go through basic maneuvers.”

Shiro shrugged. "Well, I already found Pidge this morning and put her to bed. Then I helped Coran and Allura perform some routine maintenance on the castle-ship. Coran even let me at the controls for a bit, which was a thrill.”

Hunk laughed. “Were you the reason I was thrown out of bed this morning?”

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck and blushed, which was an answer in and of itself.

Yellow straightened again after a flip; Hunk immediately went into a barrel roll. “How was it?”

“Amazing,” Shiro murmured. “Handles so much smoother than any garrison shuttle.”

Hunk reveled in Shiro’s child-like wonder. It was a delight to see. 

“I’m not proficient but maybe one day.” Shiro shrugged. “Anyway, I came to find you, and I’ll probably seek out Keith later. He’ll want to spar, and hopefully I can convince Lance to come along. I’m excited to see how he progresses with his bayard. He definitely has the skill to become our sharpshooter, and I bet his bayard can form a sniper rifle. He’d be a great asset perched above our battles.” 

That was…the saddest thing Hunk ever heard. “Shiro, yeah, that’s all well and good but…isn’t there anything you  _want_ to do?”

“Hm?” He looked genuinely confused.

“Shiro, everything you just mentioned was for the team. Dude, what do you like to do?”

Shiro’s smile lit the cockpit. “I’m doing it, Hunk.”

Shiro liked spending time with the team? That was his downtime activities – sharing it with one of them?

For a moment, Hunk thought Shiro wouldn’t say anything else, but then the Black Paladin replied, “I met Matt during my first year at the garrison, and the Holts were kind and brought me home for some home-cooked meals every so often. But I – I never really had much of a family or people I could rely upon implicitly – well, until I met Keith, really. And now all of you.”

And from what Hunk gathered from Keith, he’d never had anyone but Shiro either.

So Shiro enjoyed playing hide and seek in the morning with Pidge and helping the castle crew and training with Lance and Keith and even teaching Hunk introductory pilot maneuvers.  

Well, okay then.

“So what now, Fearless Leader? Got a few more pointers for me?”

Shiro’s hand once more clasped Hunk’s shoulder, and the Black Paladin shared a conspiring grin. “I’ve heard great things about this Space Mall. Think we can escape there for a few hours without anyone noticing?”

“Probably, but we’ll need to make a smorgasbord at the food court.”

“Mission priority one.”

“Let’s do it.”

Of course, Keith noticed they were missing by the third hour, but Hunk messaged him before he could alert the whole ship. And Keith messaged him back almost immediately -  _Do not let Shiro by the pet store._


	22. Armed and Ready to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Season 3, Keith finds Real!Shiro, and captain, there be feels here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can be read as a sequel to Yes, Sir and Space Dreams, but also stands as its own ficlet.

They sat at the edge of the rebels’ lift-off pad, staring up at the shimmering constellations above. The comfortable silence lasted for only so long.

“You made the wrong choice, y’know?” Keith murmured, leaning upon his thighs and fighting the tears that threatened to fall. “I – I couldn’t be what you wanted.”

Shiro glanced up at the Black Lion, which loomed just above their heads. “That’s not what Black told me.”

“Shiro, no one wanted me to lead, okay?” Keith exploded, hands flying wide. “Lance hated it at first, and then I rushed into this planet where we couldn’t talk and Allura fought Lotor. And I lost the rest of the team, and we couldn’t form Voltron the first time we tried.”

“We couldn’t form Voltron the first time we tried, either,” Shiro chuckled.

“It’s not the same thing!”

“Sounds pretty similar.”

“Shiro…” Keith practically begged, a shaking glove covering his face. “…stop. I – I couldn’t do it. I kept failing. Over and over again, and I made decisions no one agreed with. And – ”

“And not everyone agrees with my decisions,” Shiro’s soft voice rolled over his shoulder, hand steady upon it as well. “Did you listen to others? Take their advice into consideration and then make a choice?”

“…yes, but – I still – ”

“That’s what a team does, Keith. A leader is someone who enables other to succeed, not someone who always has to take charge. And just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you have to take everything on yourself or always be strong.”

Keith raised his glassy eyes to pin Shiro with an accusatory glower. “You always are.”

“Not with you,” Shiro admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Or to Coran or Allura. I spoke to them a lot, actually, in between missions. Coran, especially, helped me to keep things in perspective.”

Shiro graced him with a sheepish smile.

Keith wanted to punch him.

“And failure isn’t the same for everyone. It all depends upon how you measure success.”

“By defeating Lotor,” Keith insisted.

Shiro shrugged. “Hm. That’s one way. I always measured success by counting heads. If after a battle, I could count six heads, then the mission was a success.”

Shiro valued the paladins’ lives more than the mission.

“After every battle, could you count five heads, Keith?”

With tears slipping down his cheeks, Keith nodded.

“Then it sounds like I couldn’t have made a better choice.”

Keith couldn’t be strong – not anymore – and more importantly, he didn’t want to be. When Shiro opened his arms to Keith, the Red Paladin dove into them and sobbed against Shiro’s strong shoulder. Shiro didn’t try to shush him, and instead, he murmured into Keith’s soft strands, “I’m so, so proud of you, kiddo. I knew you could always do it.”

Keith just clutched him tighter, eliciting a warm laugh from Shiro that melted what remained of Keith’s defenses.  

“And I hope, once we get home, you’ll let me lean on you still.”

Keith sat up straight, eyes trembling.

Shiro grinned. “We’re a team, Keith. Always have been. And now that you’re comfortable being a leader – I can only think that the Voltron Force will be stronger with two of us rather than one. What do you think?”

 _This_  was Shiro. This was the person he remembered and whom missed him with all his heart. He suddenly feared to close his eyes, afraid he’d lose Shiro again, and as if hearing him, Shiro leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to Keith’s forehead. “I missed you, too, kid. And I’m not going anywhere again.”

“You can’t promise something like that,” Keith scoffed. “Your power is to teleport. It’s literally to go other places.”

“…then, I guess I’ll just have to take you with me next time.”

 _That_ …Keith could live with, and by the sudden nudge in the back of his mind, he knew the Black Lion approved, too.

“You guys ready?” Pidge’s voice sounded over the launch area, and Keith turned to see Matt standing just beyond her, ready for the battle that was to come. “The Blade sent word. It’s time.”

Shiro stood and gave Keith a hand up. “I guess this makes sense,” he wondered out loud as they joined the Holts. “The arms support the head, while the legs support the team.”

Keith snorted. Shiro drew him close, tucking him under his right arm, before bringing Pidge under his left. “All right, Team. Let’s stop Lotor once and for all.”

Pidge smiled up at Keith, as if remembering those words coming from him months ago, and nodded. “Let’s.”


	23. Tastes Like Oreos and Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday, Shiro! 
> 
> Lotor delivers a present to Shiro on his birthday, and it’s certainly a surprise. (SFW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My contribution to Shiro Day. Hope you all have a great Season 5, and I hope we get Shiro back!

The dimly lit chamber reminded Lotor of the room that once held his parents’ vigil, and he surmised this one served the same purpose. A place to hold the deceased until their bodies were eventually cremated. Granted, the person held within the chilled cryo-tube technically still lived, but there would be no escape for him. In fact, Lotor doubted the person even knew where he was or that he was held, and certainly not that he was in the company of his royal highness.

But today was a special occasion, and Lotor would celebrate it as one should. On a small, black plate with multicolored balloons sat a tiny cake with a cookie on top, and Lotor held it up, as if the unconscious prisoner could see it.  

“The paladins seemed quite excited to celebrate this quintaint,” Lotor said with a wondering tone. “You were born upon this  _day_ …well, not quite, I’m told. You are what the humans call ‘a leap year baby.’ All of six, are you? Well, six and a half now? Or is a quarter?” Lotor laughed and used his fork to cut into the cake. “No matter. I figured it is only fair to come see you since your clone is getting so much attention. You deserve a few moments as well. Call this a gesture of appreciation for your continued assistance in producing the new high-powered quintessence.”

Lotor sunk his fork into the cake and put it to his mouth, humming in appreciation after a moment. “The Yellow Paladin is quite talented in the culinary arts. It’s a shame I will have to dispose of him – and the rest of your team, of course. Once I reopen the rift and gain more raw quintessence than even you can produce, I will have no use for them.” He took another bite. “Though on second thought, maybe I will keep this  _Hunk_  around as my personal chef. And the Green Paladin, as well. She is quite knowledgeable when it comes to technological advances. She may prove helpful in discovering new ways to harvest the quintessence.”

He sighed, exaggerated and derisively downcast. “The Blue Paladin, though. The ones who now flies the Red Lion? He will have to go. He is already suspicious of me, but perhaps once he is gone – of his own doing, mind you – Princess Allura will come to me.

“I suspect the former Red Paladin may prove some…difficulty, eventually. He is quite protective of you and has made strides in attempting to find you, Black Paladin, even though he is unaware that the source of the quintessence and you are one and the same. But Kolivan has been distracting him as needed, so he does not visit your doppelganger and discover the truth just yet. When he does, I have no fear that Kolivan will handle the situation accordingly. The Blade have been quite resourceful, helping to keep Voltron from my father and now helping me to reopen the rift. They are competent allies of the empire when united under its rightful ruler.”

Lotor bit in the cookie and shook his head. “Divine. Simply divine. I might have to visit this Earth one day. This… _oreo_  – I believe the Yellow Paladin called it – is motivation enough, wouldn’t you agree?”

The prisoner remained silent, and Lotor smiled a wicked if subdued grin. “Well, I must be returning to the castle-ship now before your team becomes suspicious. I certainly do not want them realizing they have made a fatal error in trusting me – just yet. I shall give compliments to the chef for you.” He turned away, only to turn back again. “Oh, and allow me to wish you a most happy birthday. It is one indeed.”

He walked out of the chambers and toward his craft, to return to the castle-ship, unbeknownst that on the bridge, Lance turned to Keith, the Red Bayard shifting into an Altean broadsword.

“It’s Shiro’s birthday, but I think we’re the ones getting a present.”

Keith couldn’t quite muster a smile but easily lifted his awakened blade. “Let’s go open it.”

_The End_


End file.
